Deep Ocean
by RecklessAngel007
Summary: Bella's given up and settled for a boring ordinary life. Edward's a successful businessman tired of women always interested in his money. One New Years's Eve Office party. Too-tall-to-fit girl meets the guy of her wildest dreams, only she doesn't believe in dreams anymore. Can Edward convince her to renounce to her shallow pool and dive into the deep ocean? AH
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to the talented BelleduJour and 4mejasper from Project Team Beta for suffering me and making my words look pretty. *bows head* My butt is still sore after the spanking but it was worthy *winks* I promise I'll do better next time.**

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_**Extended Summary:**_

_Bella has always felt like the Southern Belle gone wrong. Coming from an old society family, she didn't have the genetic make-up to fit in the life her Grandmother wanted for her, so she ran away._

_Edward is handsome, successful and wealthy. He can have any woman he wants, but he doesn't trust any. The moment he sets eyes on the exotic beauty at the New Years' party he realizes there's more to her than it meets the eye. A few dances and a kiss turn his world upside down and soon he's trying to make her understand that she doesn't have to give up all her dreams._

_As they start to know each other better, their friendship turns into something deeper, but they have to deal with their own insecurities, Bella's current boyfriend and some family and work-related problems first to see if a future together is even possible._

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**Note:** I'm aware Bella already has a boyfriend in the beginning of the story, but I promise it'll be canon parings eventually, just be patient: my girl doesn't know what she's missing *winks*

**_The Playlist, banners and other extras are posted on my blog if you like the whole multimedia experience. (Link in my profile)_**

Disclaimer:

I don't own Twilight; I just play in S. Meyer's sandbox when she's distracted.

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**Chapter 1:** _Of Giraffes and Lions_

"And now the last touch", Alice said half moving, half dancing around me. She stood on her tiptoes and fastened the necklace at the nape of my pale neck. She took a few steps backwards to examine her work.

I looked at her, immobile, waiting for her verdict. She scrunched her little brows for a few seconds and motioned with her finger, gesturing for me to turn around. I took a deep breath and spun slowly, as gracefully as my figure allowed me, light-years away from her effortless swirls.

Alice's face lightened up like a spring morning while she clapped and nodded, and I sighed in relief.

"Bella! You look so pretty in that dress! I'm sure Mike is gonna love it!"

I smiled at her, thankful to have such a wonderful friend - a friend willing to do her best to make me feel pretty- when I knew better than to believe in her compliments.

I was lanky and moved with the lack of grace characteristic of people who grew up too fast to adjust. My nose was too big, and I lacked a personality to go with an appendage of that size. My hair was that sad shade of brown that comes only from a bad dye job, a ratty brown that did nothing to bring up any colours in my pale skin. I knew all that. I had spent countless hours in front of the mirror trying to find my strong points…Sadly I only revisited the weak ones over and over before I got tired of pitying myself and decided just to give up.

I walked to the mirror to look at the final ensemble for the last time when the doorbell rang.

Alice squealed and disappeared from the room. I heard her fast steps fading downstairs; in a few minutes my boyfriend would be in the living room waiting for me.

The reflection in the mirror showed the improved version of me. I moaned. So much for improvement! I still looked like weird, awkward me, plus a too-much-on-the-girlie-girl-side pink dress, some heavy make-up and the usual ballet flats. I hated them with a passion! In my head, they were canoes, big and shapeless. I hated them more because they were my shackles, reminding me that I could never wear nice, feminine heels without looking like a lamppost, my head always too many inches higher than my date's.

My boyfriend Mike's a nice guy. He's averagely good-looking, mildly shy and has a golden retriever-like, always-eager-to-please disposition . All attributes, of course, to put him right in my league. Mr. Nice Guy and Miss Klutzy Giraffe. We made perfect sense! One day he would propose, we'd get married and live boringly-ever-after in our little white suburban house. We'd have 2.5 kids and no dog because I didn't think Mike could handle the competition. Hell! I could even paint the picket fence a heinous shade of pink. As in _girlie-girl-dress_ kind of pink.

On that note, I grabbed my purse and went down the stairs. It's never good when you get sarcastic and start yearning for what you would never have.

"Are you having fun?" Mike offered me a sugar-rimmed glass of some blue and fruity-smelling liquid decorated with little paper umbrellas.

I smiled kindly and nodded, trying not to betray my feelings. In my mind, I keep a running list of things not fun, and office New Years' parties only came second to getting bikini-waxed.

"Lovely ladies and…others…" a voice called through the speakers. The short, bald man hired as MC was making cheap attempts to sound funny, but after dinner and a few glasses of wine, the guests were actually too willing to laugh and play along anyway. Fake smile in place, he proceeded to talk about the games we'd be playing.

I watched him with a mix of pity and anger. It seemed that the party committee thought that having games would be a hit. Yeah, must have been the same team of braniacs who came up with the idea of having the big convention hall decorated in a bizarre tropical-beachy theme…in Atlantic City of all places! As if we didn't have enough outside for the tourists, they had to bring the palm trees inside for the locals too. Go figure.

The Danny DeVito look-alike called all the wives and girlfriends present to step forward and he lined us up in front of a long table that was covered with a white cloth. Then he explained they had "secretly" taken something from our date's office desks and we had to identify which object belonged to our men. The rest of the ladies looked amused, I, however must have groaned loudly considering the looks I earned from them.

The cloth was removed and they started picking the matching items in order. I hid myself almost at the end of the line, determined that stalling was as good a policy as any. When it was my turn, I grabbed a framed picture of myself and received a way too happy hug and kiss from Mike, who led me to the dance floor to join the other couples.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the "reward" for finding the super secret object was a dance. I bit back another groan and started entertaining myself with the idea cutting my veins open with one of those cute cocktail umbrellas. Oh, the perks of having a wild and crazy inner life!

A few other lame games followed, and by the end of them, my eyes were focused on the friggin' umbrellas as if they held the cure for all bad in the world.

Finally, they gave us a break with the promise of more awesome games to come later…Yay! Time to hit the bar and drown my misery! At that point, I was absolutely sure that I wouldn't be able to survive the Luau Party from Hell sober.

I pushed Mike away to go and mingle with his mates, assuring him that I'd be fine on my own. I was almost tempted to pat his head and tell him "Good Boy" when he finally gave me a quick peck on the cheek and left.

I found an empty stool and sat, ordering a Southern Comfort. The barman stared at me with wide eyes, I shrugged. Graduating from the University of New Orleans had made me fairly well acquainted with my SoCo and old habits die hard…especially when I was already eyeing cocktail umbrellas with something resembling to lust. He hesitated a few seconds, but ultimately poured my drink. I gulped it greedily, enjoying the burn down my throat, and put the glass down to ask for a refill. The barman gasped and somebody snorted beside me. I gathered that "pink ladies" weren't supposed to drink that kind of thing and that fact pissed me off somewhat. I turned to look at the jerk who snorted, ready to make some snarky remark, but I was rendered silent.

Sitting two stools from me was the hottest guy I've ever seen.

Perfect face. Handsome, but not pretty in a womanly way. Strong, defined jaw dusted with a five-o-clock shadow; tousled hair an odd shade between blond and cooper; slightly full, absolutely kissable lips and a pair of mischievous green eyes that made my knees wobble.

He smirked and patted the empty stool between us.

I glared, first at him, then at the offending stool, then back at him. His cockiness sobered me up from my former speechless state.

What the fuck? Did he think that his hot-as-hell status entitled him to make a move on the ugly 'sure-to-be-drunk-soon' girl? First a snort and then a condescending pat on the seat next to him and he's the King of the Party? His hotness was overshadowed by his jerk attitude

He grinned lazily, scooted to the stool right next to me, and ordered more Southern Comfort for the two of us.

"My name is Edward. I believe we weren't properly introduced."

His voice was rich and deep. I swear it went directly to my lady bits and I knew I had to run for my life immediately. Before it was too late. Before I did something I'd regret tomorrow. Like jumping on his lap and biting his lips. Or kidnapping him and having hot monkey sex with him, Golden Retrievers be dammed.

I stood up, downed my drink in a few gulps and shook his hand that was still extended in my direction.

"Nice to meet you, cupcake! Thanks for the drink!"

And I stormed off to hide in the ladies room.

Luckily, the bathroom wasn't crowded, so I could take a few deep breaths and compose myself. My view in the mirror clearly said that Alice's version of improved and mine weren't even cousins.

A few splashes of water and some cold cream and tissues later, my face was clean again. I re-applied some mascara and lip-gloss and started working on the hairpins that held my hair up. Nothing I could do about the pink dress, but at least I could set my hair free and feel a little more like myself.

Happy with the result, I went back to the hall to look for my boyfriend.

Mike, always the gentleman, didn't say a thing about my change of look and introduced me to some colleagues. We made small talk while he held his hand on the small of my back, a gesture I've always found comforting when we're in this kind of gatherings. I glanced around many times, trying to find the hot jerk among the crowd, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I convinced myself that it was better that way.

Regrettably, Danny the MC decided it was a good time to resume his awful party games. Oh, joy! I wondered if I could get some confetti to toss in the air to show how much I was enjoying the idea.

"Lovely ladies and…dudes," he blared through his mic. "Time for the dancing games! Shake your hips!"

Whistles, catcalls and a round of applause gave away the fact that his audience was even more buzzed than during the first round. I didn't attempt to hide my groan this time; it wasn't like anybody would notice. Shake our hips? Seriously? Should we move like Jagger too?

Where's a fucking cocktail umbrella when you need it?

"But before we start these great games, let me introduce you to our Postman! An applause for our postman, please!" he roared and "Please Mr. Postman" by the Beatles came from the speakers. A mousy boy with a severe case of acne entered the room dressed like a cartoon postman, complete with red satchel bag hanging across his shoulder, and stood next to Danny. I sincerely felt bad for the guy; he looked beyond mortified. Gauging his age, I imagined he must have been one of those ramen noodles college students, too desperate to turn down the job.

Danny explained we could approach our postman and write a short anonymous message to be delivered to any of the party guests. We only had to address it vaguely, not by name, but using some sort of hint.

"For example - Beautiful lady in the red dress," he said, wagging his brows while looking at one of the secretaries and making her blush. "You can reply, but the postman can't reveal the sender. You have the rest of the night to use our mail service."

Judging his face, I guessed he thought he was playing cupid. It sounded like a screwed-up office version of high school's Invisible Friend, only the participants had traded the acne for balding heads and prominent bellies.

"Now, our first game - the hat game!" He produced a few funny looking hats from a bag and placed them on the table. The couples will start dancing with the partner they choose. I'll give the hats to random gentlemen who have no partner and each one will choose who will wear the hat. Everybody knows that is not polite dancing with a hat on, so when a man gets a hat on his head, he has to leave his partner to dance with the one who gave him the hat, wear it for the rest of the song and look for another victim to do the same in return when the next song begins. One rule only - nobody repeats, once you have already worn a hat, nobody can put another one on the same person. All clear?" he paused and looked at us. Once he was happy everybody got his game, he screamed "Music please, Mr. DJ!"

'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak started and Danny looked so smug that I was almost picturing him as an old villain from a black and white movie, twirling his moustache.

Mike pulled me close to him and we started swaying to the music. A few seconds later, a hand came from behind and put the most ridiculous hat I've ever seen on top of Mike's head. He cursed loudly, and I couldn't help laughing. The thing was full of pink and green feathers and what looked like bananas hanging all around it. My laugh died when I saw Edward grinning like a Cheshire cat. He bowed, amused, glanced at Mike shaking his head and took me in his arms, dancing away from my very flustered, very stunned boyfriend.

_Oh, my God! I thought he had left! How could I have left my guard down like that?_

One minute I had the clammy hands of Mike loosely touching my back and gripping my hand and the next, Edward was holding my body so sensually that I had trouble breathing. His gaze, intense and sinful, captured my eyes; his touch was scorching my skin. I was suddenly very aware of his body. One of his hands roamed down my back, the subtle touch setting me on fire inch by inch over the dress. The other hand cupped my neck, tracing small patterns over the exposed skin and playing with my hair. His movements relaxed me in a strange way. I slipped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder.

Suddenly I felt that nothing around us mattered anymore. Just the two of us rocking gently to the music. We danced like that for a few songs; I couldn't find it in me to care about my good old Golden Retriever. I didn't want the music to end; I was enjoying it too much. Deep down I knew it was a stolen moment, a taste of something that would never be mine, something I'd probably crave the rest of my pathetic life…but that night, while the hats kept changing places, I could have it.

His embrace became looser when the last song ended. He cupped my chin and raised my face so our eyes met again; his smile seemed sad. Mike stepped in, throwing his arm over my shoulders, and Edward disappeared into the crowd.

I missed the warmth of his skin as soon as he turned his back to walk away.

Somehow, I managed to convince Mike to get us drinks, and I claimed an empty table. There was no way in hell I was sitting at the bar again. As much as I appreciated my boyfriend's quiet love, I didn't want to stain my memories of Edward. I wanted to burn them in my mind and have them with me for the rest of my boring life.

Mike was a serene, harmless, shallow pool. No risks, no excitement, but also nothing to worry about; just safety and routine. Edward was the deep ocean. Never knowing when a storm would strike.

I wondered how it'd feel being his girlfriend. No. Scratch that! I wondered how it'd feel to be Edward's _woman_. The term girlfriend and something as manly and intense as Edward just didn't mix. Girlfriends are tame, pink-dressed beings who attend office holiday parties. Men like him didn't have one of those.

The "Postman" snapped me out of my inner ramblings. I took the note and smiled; it was addressed to the "pretty girl in the pink dress." I recognized Mike's sloppy handwriting at first sight. It read "You look pretty tonight."

Leave it to my Golden Retriever to push the dagger in deeper while trying to be romantic.

Pretty.

Girl.

Pink.

That's exactly what others see in me. Ordinary. A shallow pool.

I thanked Mike for his kind gesture when he came back with our drinks. He seemed pleased, the hat incident erased from his mind, as he sipped his beer with a content face.

I excused myself and made my way to the ladies' room.

The postman approached me again when I was walking down the corridor. He was blushing as he gave me the note, and I couldn't understand his attitude at first. Untill I read the note…

It was addressed to the "stunning creature with the wild hair". The penmanship, elegant and firm, was clearly masculine, but I haven't seen it before. It read _"I want to lick that luscious neck of yours."_

I let out a weird noise, somewhere in between a strangled moan and a gasp, which might have sounded like a dying animal. Letter-boy and I must have looked the same shade of crimson when he timidly asked me if I wanted to reply the message. I shook my head and tried to hide my smile before I lunged into the bathroom.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a moment while I was washing my hands. Something was different. Could it be? I was glowing and all it took was an improper line in a scrap of paper.

Feeling bolder and carefree, I went to look for the postman. On a second thought, I wanted to reply to that message. What harm could it cause? After all, it was just a party game.

I decided to send a new note; I wanted to keep mine so using the same paper wasn't an option. I took a page from the note block in my purse and wrote: "_To the wicked green-eyed creature: I'd take you up on the offer, but I'm not sure you'd enjoy the experience._" I folded it in a half and gave it to the very surprised letter-boy, with instructions to deliver it to Edward.

I was feeling very pleased with myself by the time I reached our table, so I allowed Mike to drag me to centre of the dance floor to play another lame game.

Danny was holding a box full of what looked like tangled ribbons, long ends hanging on opposite sides of the box. He explained that the ladies had to pick a ribbon from their side, and the gentlemen had to do the same from theirs; then he'd take away the box and each of us had to disentangle the ribbon and dance with the partner on the other end.

It appeared much easier when he said it. When the jumble of ribbons hit the ground, everybody started crossing their hands, passing under them, trying to untangle the darn ribbons before somebody pulled with too much force and the knots got tighter. Add some tanked dancers to the mix, and it's safe to say we weren't doing a great job at it.

One minute I was distracted pulling my ribbon and the next Edward was standing right in front of me. Smirking, he took a piece of my ribbon that wasn't knotted and pulled a Zippo from his pocket. I watched dumbfounded as he swiftly burnt the strip of red plastic till it was free from the messy pile in the middle of the room.

"I'm sure I'll enjoy it immensely" he whispered in my ear. His breath was warm, doing strange things to my body.

"Shall we?"

And I knew that although he was talking about dancing, his eyes were promising other things. He smiled crookedly and led me to the less illuminated corner of the dance floor. I wanted to bite him…so I just said yes. To whatever he was offering.

The music was light and made me feel happy and giddy.

The female voice sang "Let's dance little stranger, show me secret sins…"

I let the music carry me, swaying to the rhythm, enjoying Edward's closeness. For the first time in my life, I felt small, feminine. He was very tall; I had to look up to hold his gaze, and his shoulders were broad, protective.

We seemed so at ease together as if we had known each other forever. His smile was gorgeous and comfortable. However, even when he was in a relaxed mood, anybody could say that Edward was a domestic animal; there was something wild about the way he moved. A touch of something I couldn't define. Passion maybe? I pegged him for a passionate man. One of those men who'd never make love once a week, without desire, just out of routine. A man who'd prefer body heat to central heating. A man who wouldn't need a woman to feed him, do his laundry and pick the shampoo he would use. Men like that need a woman with capital W. Men like that didn't need a swing on the porch. Or a fucking pink picket fence.

Too soon, the song came to the end, and I knew it was the last one. It was almost midnight and everybody would start pairing up for the count down. After that, the company personnel would gather in a private conference room to share their goals for next year, pat each one another's backs, and the party would end.

The huge plasma screens in the hall blared to life, the Times Square ball being the center of attention; the guests stopped fighting the ribbons and cheered.

Edward stared intensely at me and then dropped his arms, gently pushing me toward where the rest of the guests were gathering. There was a taste of promise in his eyes, and something else that I could only describe as melancholy.

I walked towards Mike while I briefly wondered if Edward was missing somebody at this moment. Was he sad because he wanted to be with some woman who wasn't present? Was there somebody in his life or did he just felt lonely?

My boyfriend smiled at me and put his hand on the small of my back again. I felt like growling.

Happy people wearing funny hats cheered from the screen. Lady Gaga and Mayor Bloomberg pushed the button to start the ball drop. Then the countdown began.

50...49...48…

The tick-tock sounds reminded me of a heartbeat.

30…29…28...

At 10, the people in the party started counting out loud too.

9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…

The ball dropped. Mike gave me a peck on the lips. People were cheering, whistling and squealing. The fireworks in the city echoed with the ones coming from the screens. 'Auld Lang Syne' sounded muffled though the speakers, drowned by the celebration racket. 'New York, New York' followed. And that was the cue for the company staff to move to the conference room.

A few waiters offered us champagne. I knew Mike would be toasting with his mates in the other room, so I took a flute and walked toward one of the doors behind the bar that led to the glass terrace. It was slightly open, and I welcomed the cool breeze on my face. Pressing my forehead against the glass, I let my mind wander through the things that happened during the night.

Unexpectedly, an arm pulled me onto the terrace and slid the door shut. A second later, I was back in the arms of a certain wicked male.

"I though you had left the party early."

He shook his head and smiled sadly. "I couldn't stand the thought of seeing him kissing you at midnight."

The look in his eyes told me he was telling the truth, though I couldn't understand why he would feel that way.

"Besides, I wanted my kiss too."

He took me in his arms and leaned closer. That mischievous spark in his eyes was dancing again. "And you still owe me," he said an inch from my lips, his breath mingling with mine, his hand caressing my neck. "You sure you want this?"

I breathed a _yes_ all too eager, because I wanted everything he could give me, even when I was certain I wouldn't see him again.

He pulled me to him, capturing my lips with his. They felt soft and warm and all kinds of amazing. He kissed me softly a few times, and then he pulled back for an instant.

He was holding back, giving me the chance to tell him to stop.

The moment his lips touched mine again, I began kissing him back as if my life depended on it. The extreme tenderness of the first touches slowly vanished and turned into the world-shattering passion I was expecting from him.

When he nibbled on my bottom lip, I moaned and opened my mouth to him. We explored each others' mouths with tongues and teeth, licking, sucking, biting and tasting.

At some point, he must have pulled me against the wall, because when we were both breathless and had to come up for air, I noticed the change in our positions.

He leaned on me resting his forehead on mine, both of us panting, his toned body still pressed against every inch of mine. He kissed me gently once more, his lips lingering on mine and then travelling along the line of my jaw to my ear.

"I still want to lick your luscious neck," he whispered, kissing my earlobe.

I moaned, his lips barely touching me, his breath making my whole body tingle in anticipation. He traced my neck with his nose, stopping every now and then to graze his lips against my flesh. He repeated that pattern a few times, up and down, his breathing turning heavier, his hands roaming, caressing my ribs and the sides of my breasts. Then his tongue slid slightly against my tender skin, leaving a trail of wetness behind.

The cool breeze made me shiver, and he chuckled. He pulled me closer to him, shielding me from the cold with his warm body, stroking my back. He took his sweet time sucking and nibbling my neck, and by the time he raised his head and looked into my eyes, I wasn't shuddering from the cold. It was pure undiluted desire. I could see the same hunger reflected in his eyes.

Footsteps and noises of chatting people started to come from the hall. I knew the party was over and with that, my minutes in heaven with Edward were over too.

He grimaced and kissed me one more time. Slower, more tenderly. Then he slid the door open and I stepped back into the hall.

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**A/N: How you ever been to a lame Luau Party?**


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight; I just play in S. Meyer's sandbox when she's distracted.

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**Chapter 2**: _Giraffes shouldn't crash peacock parades_

4:37 am

The angry digits in my alarm clock changed, morning grew near, and I was lying on my bed wide-awake.

I kept on examining the previous night in my head, analyzing each movement, dissecting each conversation, trying to understand. I didn't make sense at all.

He had wanted me. He was hard when he held me tight to his body, but he didn't make a move on me.

He had kissed me.

Hell! It was the most passionate kiss of my life!

Yet, he hadn't groped me…no hands going to improper places, no hips thrusting against my body, no attempts to put a hand in my panties. Nothing!

You could say I was frustrated, but not for the reasons many people would think. Well, maybe a little. But that wasn't my main conflict. You don't flirt with a girl like me unless you want in her panties. I was used to losers making a pass at me once a party started to decay and all the pretty girls had turned them down.

This situation, however, wasn't in my book. First, Edward wasn't a loser; he could have had any girl in the room. Second, he did all the hard work and didn't try to get anything in exchange. Then, what was I missing?

No matter how many times I turned it around in my head, my conclusion was always the same. Pity. The best kiss of my life had been a pity kiss.

_No shit, Sherlock! Now try to catch some sleep!_

Not even my inner self was pleased, but at least she was a bitter bitch; she knew how to deal with stuff like that. I hopelessly wanted to find nonexistent reasons when she had already figured out the whole incident hours ago.

6: 24 am

I sank my head deeper on my pillow, and tried to sleep.

"Bella!"

I sat up in a flash, startled by Alice's scream. I hated when she woke me up like that!

"Aliiiiiiii! Geez! Where's the fire?"

"Nu-uh. No fire, Bells, sorry! I just wanted you to wake up and have brunch with me. You've been sleeping forever!"

I checked my alarm clock, and it was noon. I couldn't even bitch at her.

"Okay, Ali. I'll be down in a minute."

She followed me to the bathroom to make sure I was really getting up, and left when I started splashing cold water on my face.

"Hurry up! You've got some explaining to do, missy!" she yelled from the stairs.

Explaining? If she was expecting me to retell a boring party to amuse her, she was crazier than I thought.

Only this party hadn't been boring at all…

But there was no way her radar could have detected that, and I couldn't picture Mike calling in the morning to tell her. My Golden Retriever was many things, but gossip wasn't his thing. Most important of all, he was oblivious of Edward being a scrumptious feature on yesterday night's menu.

I dismissed the idea that Edward was the reason for her 'pink inquisition meeting' immediately. Besides, it wasn't like I could tell Ali about him. She would have gone postal and called the 'Georgian Belles' to punish me with whips and powder puffs. Perhaps even sign me up as lab rat to test the permanent pink nail polish.

I shuddered at that idea. No, I definitely couldn't tell her.

Alice was a loyal friend, almost a sister, but she never had completely understood me. In her head, I've had everything she wanted for her life, and I had given it up.

She came from a middle class family in North Carolina; her dreams were full of society balls and girls with pretty dresses, yet she only watched some of her schoolmates live that dream, she was never part of it.

I, on the other hand, was the only girl in the family. The old-money Higginbotham's from Georgia. I had my big _debutante ball_, with white dress, escort, ushers and all the fanfare. The thought of it still makes me cringe.

And then, of course, the rest of the 'season' followed. Full of empty, ridiculous charities that left the society's heart satisfied and gave them opportunity to order new dresses. I had nothing against charities, but let's face it: none of the girls in expensive dresses gave a rat's butt about the events; they just wanted their 'peacock parade' to try and lure some wealthy guy into marriage. Mommas happy, daughters happy, _southern belle_'s dream accomplished, the world was allowed to keep on spinning.

But I wasn't your regular _southern belle_…

I was a giraffe crashing the peacock parade.

"Big nose" plus "too tall" equals belle gone wrong. There's no way around that equation.

They always put me at the back for the pictures and asked me to bend my knees. Can anybody imagine the embarrassment? All the girls had been taught different.

_"Spine straight, shoulders back, face relaxed, head up!"_

_I could almost hear the mothers' commands._

_"Not you, Isabella! I can see your head from where I'm standing!" _

Knees bent, shoulders slouched forward, eyes desperately trying to find a hole to crawl in and die. Yeah, those were my personal directives.

Could you blame me for running away from that nightmare?

It was mandatory for me to attend all the balls and charities, but boys always ignored me, not that I honestly blamed them. I was tired and embarrassed of sitting all dolled-up in the corners, never dancing, never having a date.

Granma Marie used to say that if you ignored something long enough, it would be as it had never existed. She was referring to my physical defects…but I wondered if the boys had heard her, and were trying to make me vanish with their indifference.

It only took one season. I knew I could never live up to my family expectations by the end of it. Grandma Higginbotham gave me the last push without even knowing.

A boy called D.J. Garret had invited me to Annual Autism Awareness Charity Ball, and I was ecstatic. It was the first time I was going to one of those events with a real date, and it was one of the important charities. I was really interested in it. I had spoken more than once with the people hosting it, and I knew they're doing a great job. The organization understood that the guests usually donated to their cause only to feel their hearts lighter, but they didn't care as long as they could get the money to help. I was in agreement too. Dancing a little while doing it wouldn't hurt.

As usual, Grandma Marie made sure that I had a gorgeous dress and appointments with the stylist, and the essential circus.

I wore a pink dress, and D.J. gave me a small corsage of pale pink roses and baby's breath. I felt beautiful for a moment.

Although my happiness was short-lived, at the end of the first dance, D.J. escorted me to the gardens with the excuse that it was too hot inside. I followed him, because indeed it was hot in the ball room, but mostly because I was stupid and romantic. I thought he liked me. He had invited me, right?

I was expecting a walk in the gardens, some flirting and a tender kiss perhaps.

D.J. had other ideas. Ideas that apparently included my virginity a few minutes after a sloppy kiss and some rough manhandling in a dark corner behind the gazebo.

He shoved his hand in my panties, and I was so shocked that I didn't even react. He took it as encouragement, and proceeded to kiss me and hump me until I bit him.

He got really pissed then, and it didn't help that I was starting to sob. He screamed at me, and told me he shouldn't have accepted the deal, that I wasn't worth it. He said that if my grandma wanted him to put up with me, she'd have to pay him a hell lot of more money.

And that's the story of how I lost my virginity to a high society jerk, against a lattice, in a puerile attempt to please my grandmother and show her I could make her proud even when she had to pay for me to get a boyfriend.

A boyfriend. D.J. was never counted in that category either. He took what he wanted and left me sitting in the middle of the bellflowers, crying. He never talked to me again.

That night I made up my mind. I could never be what Granma Marie wanted. She would just keep on paying everybody and trying to buy me a place. I couldn't accept that, so I left.

I turned down the Ivy League colleges in favour of the University of New Orleans. No Higginbotham had ever attended there, but I convinced Granma that they had a great French Department, and she finally relented. I guessed she thought that a Major in French wouldn't be so bad for my reputation.

What I didn't tell her was that I never intended to study French there. I graduated as a Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration Major, and moved to Atlantic City.

She was angry and disappointed when I first told her, but in the end, she caved in.

She still refused to come and visit me in Atlantic City, and demanded that I visited her instead, but all in all, I considered it a good deal. I could survive a couple of weeks per year in my childhood house to make her happy. She wasn't a bad person; she just grew up in a very different environment. She lived her dream, married the right man, had a family…it wasn't her fault life dealt her a bad hand in the winter of her days.

Alice was pacing back and forth at the foot of the stairs. She sighed when she saw me, and moved to the kitchen, motioning for me to follow her. She pointed a large vase of flowers with her little pink-nailed finger. I stared at the flowers in awe. They're breath-taking, but I still didn't have any idea what they had to do with anything.

"Bells, I have known you for years. And I know your boyfriend too…There's no way in hell Mike sent you those, so dish out, missy! You have a secret you haven't told me! Who sent you the flowers?"

"Sent _**me**_?" I stressed the last word as if I was talking to a two-year old.

"Well, I can't really be described as the 'stunning lady with the wild hair', I think it's safe assuming they're for you."

She raised her eyebrow when I went closer to the table to look at the flowers. I tried to hide my emotions, but I was sure she had seen my eyes widen when she mentioned the last part.

The bouquet was a strange combination of purple and red roses, yellow iris, and a few birds of the paradise. I've never seen something so exotic in my life. Well, considering the handful of times Mike had given me flowers his choice had been pink roses, the contrast was abysmal. There was a small note attached, the elegant handwriting all too known by me. It read "Dare to shine."

Edward.

"You're right, Ali. Mike didn't send the flowers."

"And now you tell me why I have this feeling that you wouldn't appreciate if I told him about them?"

I sighed.

"Look, Alice, this is not so easy…"

I paused to arrange my thoughts. I haven't planned to tell her any of these, but there was no other alternative.

She huffed crossing her arms over her chest. Her stomach growled.

"Can we have brunch while I tell you the story?"

Everything's better after a tasty treat, I reasoned. Besides it could give me something to occupy my hands, and I could always shove some food in my mouth to avoid answering and stall until I found a sensible reply. Yeah, eating sounded like a good plan.

She reluctantly agreed, and we busied ourselves setting up the table.

Once we both were sitting, I gave her the censored version of the previous night. She listened to me in silence, never interrupting, never prying. I had to give her that, she was a good listener, and it made my task easier.

"You weren't going to tell me anything, right?"

Her lip quivered, I couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness.

She stood and picked up the plates from the table, bringing a bowl of fruit salad. I remained in my chair, not knowing what to do or say. She spooned some salad in two smaller bowls placing one in front of me.

"Are you going to answer, Bella? Were you planning to keep this secret from me?"

"Yes. No, maybe…I don't know, Ali. I understand you're angry, but please try to understand me too. Are you mad at me?"

"I'm fine. We're fine"

Her tone sounded dead. That wasn't Alice at all.

"You sure you're fine, Ali?"

"I'm so fucking peachy you could throw me in the fruit salad right now!"

She growled and banged her bowl against the table. That sounded more like her.

"Why?" she whispered. Her lip was trembling again; she was trying to keep her emotions in check, but not being entirely successful.

"Because you'd get like this, Alice. I knew you were going to yell and tell me I was an idiot, and seriously, Ali, I already told myself that, I don't need a second opinion. I recognize Mike is good for me and that guys like Edward will never look at me twice, but I wanted to feel it at least once in my life. I wanted to feel beautiful…I _deserved_ to know how the other girls feel…" I told to my folded hands, I couldn't help the sob that interrupted my speech.

"And you think I'm mad cos you flirted with a guy?"

I looked at her, and even through my blurry eyes I could see the astonishment in her face.

"I'm pissed cos you had a juicy piece of information you were planning to keep from me, you moron! I'm supposed to be your freaking best friend and you weren't going to tell me!"

I winced at her shrieks.

"But I thought you were going to kill me cos I kissed Edward!"

She huffed, and then pouted. She looked like a small girl. I attempted to defend myself again.

"But…but I thought…Alice, try to walk in my shoes for a moment…"

"Are you crazy?" she interrupted me. "Fuhgeddaboudit! Do I look like a hobbit? I won't be caught dead in your sasquatch ballet flats!"

We both started laughing like hyenas, and just like that, I knew Alice was back to being…well, Alice.

When I arrived to _Mela's_ a few hours later, I went directly to the kitchen to see how they had managed the previous night in my absence. I usually didn't take days off during holidays, working at a restaurant in a touristic city doesn't allow you that kind of luxury. New Years' Eve, on the other hand, was special cos Mike needed me to go with him to the office party like every year. He had talked to Renata, the restaurant's owner, and considering that L. Pascal &Associates was the accounting group that kept our finances in order, and that Mike personally took care of our account in special, she gave me the day off.

I checked on the menus and the deliveries first. I corrected a few things, and then I started with the stock. I had to place the orders for the next day before 5 pm if I wanted everything to be delivered in time, so I practically ignored Jess and Sam who were chatting like always in the storage room.

"So…Who do you think has more fun, Bella? Blondes or brunettes?" Samantha asked me conversationally as soon as I sent out the orders.

"Uhm. I wouldn't know, Sam. Which blonde and which brunette are we talking about?"

"Well, not you, obviously!" Jess snorted. "Seriously, Bella, when was the last time you had fun?"

"Last night."

I don't know what's got into me, but I replied before I could stop myself.

"Oh, come on! You don't even remember what fun is anymore! An office party is what you call fun?"

They both left the room giggling, and surprisingly, I felt smug in spite of it.

_You can bet your ass I had more fun than you_

The evening at Mela's ran smooth that day. We didn't have many mishaps, and I was grateful for that. I was about to make my round through the main room when Gianna, our maîtresse d'hôtel, came bargaining into the waiter's station.

"You won't believe who is sitting out there!" she half yelled, half squealed.

We weren't really big on celebrities, but we had one from time to time. I wondered who the person might be to have her all hot and bothered. Jess showed up a second later fanning her face with her hand.

"I can't believe he sat at one of my tables! He's so hot I think the smoke alarms will go off any minute now." she said with dreamy eyes.

Well, that got my attention.

"May I ask who are we talking about, ladies?"

"Edward Cullen!" they answered in chorus.

"Come again. Who?"

"Oh, Bella! Do you live inside a bag? How could you not know who he is? Hottest piece of ass in Atlantic City, Baby! He owns a few hotels and god knows what else. And on top of that, he's in Cosmo's list of the most eligible bachelors!"

She was almost drooling. That made it. I left the waiter's station and headed to the dinning room. I didn't have time for their celebrity crushes. I mentally made a note to check on our 'smoking hot guest' to verify that none of the girls was being improper. It'd be my butt, not theirs, the one that would get kicked if he complained.

I shook my head and looked at the tables assigned to Jess to see if I could identify him. I was looking for a middle aged man with playboy tendencies, according to Jessica's description. As soon as I spotted one that matched the profile, I approached his table with the intention to introduce myself and subtly asking him if he was satisfied with the service so far. I was walking toward the table when I heard his voice.

"Fancy seeing you here, Isabella."

"Edward?"

I turned around shocked. I would have recognized that voice anywhere.

He flashed me one of his crooked smiles.

_I swear those have to be illegal in at least four states. It wasn't fair they let the man walk around free, among innocent women, and packing that kind of ammo._

"Do you have a minute? Can you have a glass of wine with me?"

"Sure."

Yeah, that was my verbose reply. Edward's ability to freeze my brain and render me speechless wasn't something any of the vaccines required in the gastronomic business' health card prevented.

Jessica came with his order glaring daggers at me as soon as she saw me sitting at his table. I waited until she finished her job to confirm she was behaving, then I excused myself and stood to leave Edward have his meal in peace.

"Please don't go, love. I don't like eating alone."

He took my hand between his, and I couldn't deny him anything. I sat down again. Jess resumed her glaring from the table behind Edward, and I had the feeling Gianna was doing the same from her podium. I couldn't care less. I'd deal with them later.

* * *

**A/N: What's your fav flower in a bouquet?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Twilight; I just play in S. Meyer's sandbox when she's distracted.

Chapter 3: _Giraffes and other Masterpieces_

I reviewed in my mind of which activities I'd have been doing instead of being sitting there while Edward ate. Then, hallelujah, my neurons finally decided to make synapse again and I connected the dots. This Edward and our celebrity guest were the same person! I might have missed my stop on the train, but there's no way in hell I was that dense! I must have groaned loudly 'cause Edward looked at me.

"You're Edward Cullen?" I asked 'cause, yup, apparently I was _that_ dense. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the facts. If _my_Edward and Cosmo's most eligible bachelor were one and only one person, the previous night made even less sense than before.

He grinned and nodded. I guessed he too realized I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were…you" I heard myself say lamely. I wanted to join a contortion class till I learnt to kick my own ass.

"I was aware of that yesterday, baby. You don't have any idea how refreshing was interacting with a person who wasn't trying to please me or use me for change. I think I needed that"

"I was one second away from cussing at you at the bar! Oh, my god! How embarrassing!"

My cheeks burnt and I was sure the tips of my ears were crimson. Edward thought I was hilarious. Or crazy. Or both…

"Why were you going to cuss at me?" he managed to ask between fits of laugh.

"'Cos you snorted when I ordered my SoCo and nobody mocks my booze!"

He laughed again. He appeared to be really enjoying the situation. His laugh was clear and little wrinkles formed around his eyes.

"I wasn't mocking you! It was the barman's face what I found funny! Have you seen his face? His eyes were like saucers when you put your glass down! I'm sorry, love"

I shook me head at the ridiculous of the situation. To think I almost picked a fight withAtlantic City's hottest piece of ass – as Jess so eloquently put it – it was at the same time, awkward and funny.

"May I ask you something?" I asked when we both finally sobered up.

He grimaced and nodded.

"Why me?"

He looked at me in confusion. What was he expecting me to ask?

"Why you what, Bella?" He made a gesture I interpreted as if he wanted me to elaborate my question. I wasn't about to retell the things he did to me the previous night so he could boost his ego. Yeah, dream on, hot-ass, this giraffe has her pride too.

"Why did you pick me? I'm sure there were lots of pretty girls present…Why the pity kiss?" So much for pride. I just went and spilled all my midnight ramblings in three sentences.

"Why not you?"

"You're answering my question with another question. That hardly seems fair when you let me ask in the first place"

"I'm serious, Bella. You stated there're pretty girls in the party, but when I listen to you I feel that you aren't counting yourself among them. Am I right?"

"Obviously. But…"

He cut me off. "Don't try to distract me, love. We still have to discuss the veracity of your other assumption. Now explain me why you weren't one of the pretty girls, and please try to be very convincing 'cos I'm looking at you right now and, in my eyes, you're still the most stunning creature in the room."

To say I was flabbergasted would have been the understandment of the century.

"Let's just say that I have a mirror, and I've been looking at this face for the last 25 years, Edward. I'm not naïve and I'm certainly not gullible. I suffered my funky genetics for a long time and I know what to expect. The reason why men approach me depends on them and never on me: they don't approach me cos I'm pretty; they do 'cos they're desperate after the _pretties_turned them down or 'cos they can't find anybody better to get laid. Yet you don't fall in any of those categories, that's why I'm curious. Would you answer that to me?"

If I didn't know better, I'd say that he was angry while I was explaining my point of view, but he quickly schooled his face as soon as I finished my tirade.

"So you think you're a reject?" He asked me, ignoring my question. "A girl no men would pick unless falling in one of the aforementioned categories?" His face was a mask of perplexity.

"There's a third category, but I ruled you out from it 'cause it didn't apply to the situation" I informed him.

"And that would be…?"

"Boring ordinary men with good intentions that look for a tamed woman to date without having to worry about jealously" I deadpanned.

"I'd bet your date from yesterday falls into that category" He said almost to himself, but I have already started to feel the weight of what I have said. I never really questioned why I was with Mike, but now, my subconscious seemed to have given me more answers than I bargained for.

"Do you realize that dating him for those reasons is demeaning to you, right?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Errr…I doesn't matter now. We're discussing another thing"

"Ok, upsetting you was never my intention, Bella. Let's follow your previous line of thinking. Explain me why you feel you have to settle for whatever guy from one of your categorization groups and you can't just go for the one you'd like."

Damn him! Of all the men on green earth, why was I having this conversation with the only one who didn't budge easily?

"How many women taller than 6 feet have you met, Edward?"

"I guess you'd be the only one"

"How many women with a nose this size do you know?" I angled my face so my nose could be seen in all its fucked up glory.

"What kind of question is that?"

"I'll spare you the moment, don't worry. I think the answer is more or less the same you gave me before, perhaps with the addition of somebody's old aunt who goes by the name of Mildred or Gertrude, so it doesn't really matter. Now, they say you're good for business and this is a simple reasoning. If you have to sell a product that has at least two very visible, very unique 'qualities'" I quoted in the air, all too aware that we weren't talking about virtues, but merely characteristics. I tried to rephrase it. "And those intrinsic aspects of the product aren't what one would call appealing to the market. What would be your chances to effectively sell the product?"

He cooked an eyebrow and smirked.

"You're leaving a very important factor outside of this particular equation, Bella."

"Which one?"

"The amount. We're not talking about mass production here, we're not trying to sell a big amount of this 'product'" He looked at me clearly amused. "What we have in here is _sui generis_. I don't need to build a market to sell something that's one of a kind. Would you need a market for the 'The Great Star of Africa' or the 'Mona Lisa'? Your product is like a masterpiece, a unique rare gemstone, a precious antique: all you have to do is find an expert. A _connoisseur_, a sybarite who would appreciate it for its real value"

"You make it look easy. I'm almost tempted to go to Sotheby's. Or should I start at e-bay?"

"And you had the need to go and degrade my product, right?"

I laughed. The situation was so surrealist that it was funny. There we were, discussing my chances in the market. I, trying to explain why I was reject making a business analogy and Edward comparing me to the world's biggest diamond.

"It's always a pleasure hearing you laugh, it raises the price considerably." He said gently caressing my hand with his long fingers.

I heard somebody calling me, so I knew my break was over. Edward put a small piece of dark paper in my hand before I could stand. It was one of his business cards, elegant and classy, but the most surprising thing was that his cell number was written on hand under his name.

Did he really want to talk to me again?

Sliding his card in my pocket, I reluctantly stood up to leave and he surprised me again by taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. It was a fast kiss, but I felt the intensity of his gaze before he released my hand, and it was something I had never felt before.

Puzzled, I wished him a good night and headed to the back of the restaurant.

**A/N: It's been empirically demostrated than FF authors type faster when they get reviews *winks* Can I have some love? *puppy dog eyes***


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight; I just play in S. Meyer's sandbox when she's distracted.

This chapter is dedicated to the lovely cullenmeadow, first person who showed some love to this story. *bows head*

Hugs to neyvada, Sylwia1205, raro83, jadedghost22 and all the followers. It's really hard not to be disappointed and keep on writing when you feel you're alone, talking to the walls. Can we make a deal? Can you at least leave me a :) so I know you're there?

Chapter 4: _Pink girls don't have fun_

I stayed the remaining of the evening in the back of the restaurant working in the office with the menus, the mail and the job applications: anything and everything that could keep my head busy and away from the dining room and a certain wicked-eyed creature.

Renata went to greet Edward but he didn't offer her to sit at the table; at least that was what Jess said.

_Take that, bitch! Brunettes 1: Blondes 0!_

I only re-emerged from my office when it was time to close. I knew all the customers were gone, so it was safe for me to go to the main room. I checked the cash registers balance, counted and prepared the bank deposits and sent the report to Mike's email. He'd be sleeping by that time, but he always wanted the info early in the mornings, so we had opted for that method.

I thought a lot during my short drive home.

As much as I enjoyed Edward's attention, I recognized deep down that I wasn't being fair. I had a boyfriend who trusted me and I just couldn't go around flirting, hottest piece of ass in AC or not.

_A boyfriend who trusts you cos he knows nobody would flirt with you. Plain boring pink doesn't get any action._

And that was another thing I had to examine. My inner voice might be a bitter bitch, but I couldn't deny that what I've said earlier about Mike had been bothering. I honestly haven't thought about the reasons why we're together, but you know what they say about Freudian slips…yeah, almost the same they say about Karma…

I changed in my pyjamas while I tried to decide if I should call Edward or not. I forgot to thank him for the bouquet and no matter how late it was, he worked in a Casino, he would probably be up. What I actually couldn't decide was whether I wanted him to be awake or not, so I opted for sending a text.

A minute later my phone rang.

"Did you like it? I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you'd prefer"

"I loved it! They're gorgeous!" I tried to tone down my enthusiasm. "I forgot to thank you in person, but I know it's late so I sent a text…Were you in bed?"

I don't know how I managed, but the last question after the stuttering sounded wrong. It must have been the tone in my voice, it was a perfectly innocent question, but somehow I made it sound like something else.

_Maybe 'cause you were picturing him naked in bed before you called?_

He didn't reply right away, but I heard his steps and then a door closing.

"Not really, does it disappoint you, Bella?" His voice was a few octaves lower when he spoke again. The sound raspy and whisper like.

"No, I…shit! Sorry! I know it sounded wrong but I wasn't trying to…Gawd! I suck at this!"

His chuckles peppering my rant, I made an idiot of myself once more.

"Don't worry, love. I can't really picture you insinuating yourself at me through the phone. At least not yet, should I raise my hopes?"

"Edward, I shouldn't…I mean we shouldn't be having this kind of conversation at all. I have a boyfriend and no matter if the relationship is based on the wrong reasons, I'm not the cheating kind…"

"I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have teased you like that. I'm aware you're in a relationship and I've overstepped my boundaries. In my defence I'd say that talking to you is so simple that you make me forget about the rest. I'm not really used to be so at ease with a person I've just met, let alone a woman, but I value your honesty." His voice was gentle, but he didn't sound intimate anymore. "Do you think you can consider being my friend?"

And there came the bucket of cold water. He just wanted to be friends. That was something I could understand. The ugly girl nobody wanted to be seen on their arm was definitely friend material.

"Of course, Edward! We can always be friends. Though I'm sure you'll find more interesting people to chat with, I'm here if you need me"

"Degrading the product again, love?"

I guessed he just found me amusing and liked the bantering. I could do that. I have always enjoyed some verbal fencing.

"I thought we've already established that the product is seriously challenged in most areas, Edward"

"Ok, Ms. Smart-ass, you want to play rough? Brace yourself!"

"Bring it, cupcake!"

I'm not sure what triggered that kind of reaction, but whenever we're talking, he seemed to bring up the feistiness in me.

"Well, considering you mentioned what we had established, I think we should summarize the points we've already discussed. You recognized you settled for whoever felt best from your categories, and I proved to you that you were looking in the wrong market…And that doesn't give you rights to bring the 'product' down and rejoice kicking it while it's on the floor, so we are clear."

He paused for a second and then his voice was lower and tender.

"What happened to you, love? Who hurt you?"

The same way he pushed all the right buttons to bring up my inner sassiness, he seemed to know how to ask me the most painful questions. I didn't even hesitate or analyze anything; when I looked at the clock, I noticed that I had spent almost two hours spilling my guts on the phone to this stranger.

I told him things I haven't told to anybody in my whole life, not even Alice.

I felt better, lighter.

"So Edward, if anybody ever asks you who has more fun, blondes or brunettes, you ask what color they're wearing. If any of them is in pink, you have a winner; Pink Girls don't have fun…"

A yawn interrupted my last sentence and he must have seen the time too.

"Guess it's time to go to bed now, love. I could talk to you all day long, but you'd probably get bored of me faster and withdraw your friendship and we can't have that, can we?"

I laughed, not daring to say he'd surely lose his interest in me first.

"Nite, nite, Edward. Should I say the ticks part too or you're squeamish to sleep after talking about parasites?

He chucked and then got serious again.

"There's only one more thing I need to tell you tonight. I wish I would have said it before, so you didn't think it has to do with what you told me, but I won't be able to sleep well till you hear it…"

He paused and then he voice was like velvet, soft and rich at the same time.

"It wasn't a pity kiss, Bella."

With that, he hung up.

**A/N: Who has more fun? Blondes or brunettes? I'm a redhead so I wouldn't know *winks***

**Oh, and remember: "Reviews are better than chocolate", please leave me one.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight; I just play in S. Meyer's sandbox when she's distracted.

**_This chapter goes for my lovelies neyvada and notthatamanda. Mwaahhh!  
_**

Chapter 5: _Giraffes and Security Blankies_

"The shipment from Greece is delayed, so our reserves of Kalamata olives, kefalograviera and mavrodaphne wines are low, Santiago. We'll have to take some dishes from the menu 'till we get stocked again"

He didn't look pleased, so I had to pull the big guns.

"I thought it'd be a good moment to replace them temporary for some of your signature dishes perhaps? If they're a success, we can always keep them on the menu and that would be a great opportunity for you"

His face said it all; nobody in their right mind would refuse a chance like that.

"Do you think Renata would go along with it?"

"Renata doesn't really care what we serve as long it looks classy, and has a few ingredients with names she can't pronounce properly"

"I can have a few dishes ready for tomorrow so we can meet for a sample meeting and decide."

I could almost see the mechanisms in his head starting to move.

Crisis averted.

The first thing you have to take care of in a high-end restaurant is having the Executive Chef happy. A pissy EC can make the lives of every single person working there hell. Believe me, I've been there.

"Oh, one more thing, Bella: Do we still have to put up with Barty's crap?"

"No, I talked to him and made clear the Italian ocetra he was trying to sell us was low-quality, so if he wants to have a deal with us, he'd better send us the good stuff. He can always find a few of those new moneys who don't know their head from their butt to sell his cheap caviar."

I went to the kitchen to grab a coffee before I sat at my desk and started discussing the vegetables and herbs on the phone with our providers.

Three seconds after my ass hit the chair, Renata came strolling into my office swaying her hips with her usual weird cadence. She must have thought it was sexy, but frankly I always found it forced. She reminded me of the singers in one of those 'all-girls' groups during the sixties.

But there was nothing girly or pink about Renata. She was artificial from head to toe. Fake tan, hair extensions, tons of silicon spread all over her body and long acrylic nails covered with channel's 'midnight red' polish.

She seemed to try for _femme fatale_ but she usually ended up looking like Lindsay Lohan in a trashy day.

She sat on the corner of my desk, clearly wanting something. She was never at the restaurant that early, so whatever she was up to, it couldn't be good.

"Bella, sweetie, I was informed that you sat at one of our V.I.P. guests' table last night. Is that true?"

I nodded. I didn't trust her when she started with the sugar-coated nicknames and that dulcet tone.

"Well, you see, dear, I know you didn't think you were doing anything wrong, believe me…" She put one of her manicured hands on her heart in an exaggerated gesture "…but we have an image to keep. Men like Ed don't appreciate the staff interrupting their meal."

I was speechless, livid and embarrassed, all in one. She must have misunderstood me, 'cause she smiled condescendingly and went on with her patronizing tone.

"Don't worry, darling, no need to apologize. I'm just telling you so you can learn from your mistakes. I talked to him and Edward's a gentleman; not only he didn't complain, but he also tried to cover you saying he had begged you to sit at his table"

She let out one of her affected practiced laughs covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers.

"I know, right? Like anybody would believe Ed has ever begged a girl for anything! And you, of all people? It was so hilarious that I had trouble keeping my face straight when he told me that"

I've had enough of her crap.

"Edward actually asked me to keep him company. He's my dear friend and I couldn't deny it to him, Renata. You have to understand, right honey? Everybody knows how much he hates eating alone"

I plastered the sweetest smile I could muster on my lips and looked innocently at her.

She didn't disappoint. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but didn't utter a word as her face went through various shades of red, pink and purple. It was funny as hell! It was like looking at a human-sized kaleidoscope with D-cups.

"Whatever" She finally managed to say and stormed out of my office, the click-clack of her Manolo's fading away in the corridor.

_She scores!_ _And the crowd goes wild! Ahhhhhh! Brunettes 2: Blondes 0_

By the time I reached back home, I was restless. I haven't heard a word from Edward in all day, no phone call, not even a text. I almost expected to find flowers at home delivered in my absence.

Nothing.

Granted Mike haven't contacted me either, unless I counted the usual two or three sentences he always sent me by email in the mornings, but considering that it was mostly work-related, so it shouldn't count.

But it wasn't Mike's silence what was bothering me, after all he had always been a man of few words, and he never called me if he didn't have anything in particular to ask or say. We could spend a week without seeing each other or talking on the phone.

What was bothering me was the fact that I have grown attached to Edward and I missed him.

Deciding that I shouldn't be expecting anything from him 'cause he was nothing but a friend, I went to bed determined to examine my situation with Mike instead. In the end, he was my boyfriend, and in the last few days I've had some revelations about our relationship that were starting to worry me.

Edward was right. Settling for the lesser evil only in self-defence wasn't healthy. Not that Mike was anywhere near evil, I mean, he was my safe choice, I could have done way worse, but still…It wasn't what I wanted, I knew deep down that I'd never be truly happy, I'd just get used. And I would be dragging an innocent down with me.

After some time, I'd become bitter and take my frustration on him.

Besides, didn't everybody deserve a chance to find that kind of love that melts you bones and give you wings? A love all consuming and world-shaking that makes you forget your own name? If I dragged him with me, I'd be stealing that chance from him too.

I might not find that love for me, but would I be able to live in peace knowing that Mike lived his life without his opportunity because of me?

I knew there was a possibility that none of us ever found it, but still, I couldn't carry the burden of killing somebody else's dreams along with mine. And much less if my only apparent excuse was cowardice and convenience.

If I didn't have the guts to try to fly, even with the excuse of my mangled wings, could I chain up another person to me so none of us could take the sky? Only to avoid feeling lonely? 'Cause routine was safe?

I didn't think so. I felt like a horrible person, so guilty and selfish.

What if Mike's ideal woman had already come and gone, and he didn't met her 'cause he was with me? What if his train had already left?

_What if you're Mike's train?_

That was impossible. I couldn't be the woman of his dreams. First of all, 'cause I couldn't picture myself as anybody's ideal, but most importantly 'cause no matter what I thought of myself, there was no spark.

Damn spark! I could have lived my life without experiencing that electricity, that jolt of magic that pulls you to another person like a magnet, without even noticing it.

Thanks to Edward now I knew how it felt, and I had never felt like that with Mike, not even in the beginning. It has always been the same gentle care, hugs without emotion, gazes without intensity, sex on weekends out of routine.

I had been thankful when he first made love to me, 'cause he had been kind.

Kind…

Kind is pink.

Kind is tame.

Kind is mild.

Mike was mild. In all the aspects of his life. He wanted safety, comfort, order. He never raised his voice and he never did anything crazy just because. He never made love anywhere aside from a bed, never on a weekday and preferably with the lights off.

I fell asleep still thinking about that. Could I let go of my security blanket? Could I ruin his life by being selfish and keeping him?

Tuesday crawled at snail pace. Not a sign from Edward, Alice has taken a few days off and she was visiting her family in N.C., nothing exciting happening at Mela's and I still haven't made up my mind about my boyfriend.

If I considered it, the day wasn't any different from any other day in the past; the problem was a lot of things had happened the previous days. Things that put my world upside-down. I couldn't even examine each situation for a certain amount of time that something else was happening next.

And then, nothing.

I guessed I was having an abstinence crisis. It seemed I had become an adrenaline junkie in two days.

_Should we call you an Edward junkie? _

Why in hell didn't he come with a warning label? "Don't directly apply to exposed skin, highly addictive. No known antidotes". Even insecticide companies do that all the time and they have the antidote for fudge's sake!

The house was empty without Ali. I brought food home from the restaurant as usual, I didn't even think it'd be only me.

I imagined that camping on the couch for a while would make me feel less lonely, so I turned on the TV, set the volume low and had my usual midnight snack there.

Contrary to what most people think, when you are the manager of a restaurant you don't actually get any chances to have a decent meal at the time the rest of the normal beings do. You can either take a chance and try to eat while praying Heaven no mayor problem will arise while you're at it; or you can be more realistic and grab a bite before the rush hour and then starve until you get home, like me.

I was halfway down my dessert when I had the great idea.

I was good at business; I had filled all the unpleasant 'holes' in my life with work and I had survived. Perhaps if I analysed my problem with Mike using a detached business perspective I could arrive to the conclusions I so desperately needed.

I brought my lappy to the couch and started with the research.

Forty minutes later, I had the situation almost wrapped up.

I had to eliminate 99% of the common reasons why relationships usually go downhill, but after reading a few articles and taking five different tests, I decided that the lack of spark was indeed a good reason.

What?

It was listed, so it worked for me.

I felt sorry for the couples having problems worse than mine, I even felt lucky in contrast.

There were only two solutions to our problem: Counselling or separating for a determined period of time and use that period to revaluate and then decide.

I discarded counselling 'cause both members were supposed to talk about what they thought they were missing and what they could do to meet each other's expectations; and once the common ground was determined, compromise.

That wasn't clearly going to work considering Mike was hunky-dory, I was the one with the problem. And we'd never reach to any agreement 'cause Mike was just not what I wanted, he was what I needed to feel safe and I was supposed to put on my big girl panties and let go of the security blanky in spite of everything.

Now, they idea of taking some time, each one on their own, to revaluate had possibilities. First, it wouldn't be such a traumatic break up if we decided to end our relationship when the 'trial period' was over; and second, it would give me an idea of what to expect. What if I ended up missing Mike like crazy and wanted to be with him? What if I felt lost without him and couldn't let him go?

Yeah, the 'trial period' sounded like a loophole to get back in if I found out that I didn't have the guts to break up with him. And at least I'd have the experience for the future, something to think of each time I wanted to set the picket fence on fire.

Finally the statistics showed that the 95% of the couples who took that option never came back together. Oh well, that had to do with an attachment curve I didn't understand clearly, but apparently I was in the 'high avoidance and dismissing' quadrant, whatever that meant.

Pfffhhhh! At least I had something I could work with. Empiric information and stats were part of my safe world, I could move easily there. When nobody asked you to feel, just to examine a situation and take decisions, things were a lot simpler.

I went to bed that night determined to talk to Mike and ask him for some time to think.

I woke up to Jace Everett singing on my night table.

"When you came in the air went out and every shadow filled up with doubt…"

What? Bad things was the ringtone I've set for Edward. I'd have gone for Closer by NIN but it would have been difficult to explain if I wasn't alone and my cell started screaming about wanting to fuck somebody like an animal. Bad things was safe, I could tell anybody that I liked it from True Blood and problem solved.

And I wanted to do bad things with him anyway…real bad things

_About fucking time the Ice Queen started to melt_

Shut up, bitch! I don't argue with my conscience before my first cup of coffee.

"Morning, love. Did I wake you up?"

I sighed in relief. God! How could I have missed his voice so much?

"No…yes, but it's ok, it's the time I usually wake up, don't worry Edward"

"Ok, I wanted to get a hold of you before you had breakfast, I think I got that one right at least. I apologize for waking you up...Would you like to have breakfast with me?"

"I'd love to, but…"

"I'm sorry; I didn't think you could be busy in the morning. Maybe tomorrow?"

"No…It's not that, I'm not busy. I don't even work on Wednesdays, it's just…You-wouldn't-want-toseemeinthemorning" I said in a rush

"Say what?"

Yay! I finally confused Edward Cullen! Go me!

"Could you repeat that, love? But slower this time, please. I haven't been awake for too long and still need my coffee to function"

I had to laugh at that. Apparently I wasn't the only one whose brain worked on caffeine.

"Edward, do you have any idea how long a woman needs to be decent enough to brave the streets? A lot of time! That's why we tend to have breakfast at home, in sleepwear and barefoot, and once properly caffeinated and fed, we start the tricky task of making ourselves presentable"

"Sleepwear and barefoot? That sounds tempting…Tell me, are we talking about skimpy sleeping clothes?"

"You wish! The Southern Belle Nazi is in Charlotte visiting her family…I'm taking advantage of her absence and wearing an old, huge thermal shirt and knitted socks."

_Did he groan?_

"Your description still sounds tempting, Bella"

"Oh, nonono. Believe me, my rainbow socks are anything but sexy"

"I doubt it. Anyway, is the 'no encounters for breakfast' one of the Pink Ladies' rules?

"Of course!" I tried to sound indignant but failed miserably.

"And Alice left you alone…How very un-pink of her! What if you picked a bag that crashed with your dress color? What if - God forbid us all- you went out wearing something banned by the Southern Belles' society?"

The mock of horror in his voice made me giggle. He was chuckling too.

"I tell you what we're going to do, Bella. You have 15 minutes to put on your rattiest jeans, sneakers and whatever thing you want to wear on top. I'll pick you up and we're gonna have breakfast…"

"But…"

"No buts, love. You said Pink Ladies didn't have fun. Today we're gonna break as many rules in that fucking pink book as possible. Now get ready, cos the clock is ticking. 15 minutes. I promise I'll drag you into my car when your time is over no matter what you're wearing…And as much as I'd enjoy having you half-dressed, I don't think you'd appreciate it"

And the line went dead.

I tried to call him back but he had turned off his cell phone.

Son of a shrimp in tartar sauce!

_The clock is ticking, babycakes…_

Right. I had the feeling that being completely dressed by the time he arrived would be a good idea.

He wanted ratty clothes? I'd show him ratty. I jumped out of my bed and headed to the closet laughing.

* * *

**_*lines up Edward, Mike, Alice, Jasper, Grandma Swan and the rest against a wall*_**

**_"Sorry, my pretties, I wasn't planning on doing this, but you know what they say about desperate situations, right? Now we'll play duck duck goose with my lil gun..."_**

**_Well, you see my dear readers, writers are reviews hoes and considering I'm not getting much love, I've decided to kill (in a very violent, very gory way) one of them if I don't get some reviews *evil grin*_**

**A/N:**

**Now seriously: I'll post an outtake (Edward POV) when I hit the 100 reviews. Aren't you curious about what's going on inside AC's hottest piece of ass? Nobody wants to know why was Edward in the NYD Party? Why he didn't try to fuck Bella against a wall? Why he grimaced the first time she questioned him? (I know what he thought she was going to ask! Lalalala! :P)**

**Reviewers also get a teaser from the evil author **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer****:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**_This chapter goes for the lovelies OCDMumof3, notthanamanda, georgeorwell, cullenmeadow and neyvada *bows head* Thanks, ladies_**

**Special dedication to my dear hwinsey, cos she's a patient and encouraging soul and she forgives me when I make her spit her tea with my crazy ideas...Hang in there, S! You're the best!  
**

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**Chapter 6:** _Stomping on the Foundational Statement of the Pink Ladies_

I dug in my closet like a gopher, looking for the jeans I had hidden from Alice's pillage-and-burn raids. The girl had the annoying habit of going through my closet several times a year and getting rid of any clothes she considered tacky or old. I knew I had hung a pair of old jeans under a channel jacket inside a silk garment bag, she never opened those while looking for 'victims' to send to the Salvation Army, so I prayed it was still there.

Bingo! I picked the jeans and put them on. They were old and soft due to too many washes and there was a rip near one of the knees. I had kept them cos they were comfy and I was quite attached to them, I thought they could be nice to do some gardening in the spring, but never in my life I had imagined myself wearing them to have breakfast with one of Cosmo's most eligible bachelors. Oh, the mysteries of Life!

I paired them up with a plain black turtleneck and an old grey tweed blazer. I donned my sneakers and even had enough time to apply some mascara before the doorbell rang.

I rushed down the stairs while fighting a hair bobble into submission. I had decided that styling my hair was the feat that required the most time, so a ponytail would have to do.

Nothing could have prepared me for the vision of Edward standing at my door…

Oh, boy! The man looked yummy in a suit, of that I was already aware, but seeing him wearing ripped jeans, Doc Martens and a leather jacket upgraded his level of edibleness several degrees.

_OMFG! He looks like the Bad-Boy poster child! I want to lick him!_

_STFU, bitch! I'm still not fighting with my conscience without my caffeine IV, but so we're clear: I saw him first! …MINE!_

I wanted to lick him too…badly

"Morning, sunshine" He greeted, a lazy grin playing in his lips. Then he took my hand and led me to his car.

His car…

"Sugar Honey Iced Tea! What the chuffin ell is that?"

He cracked up laughing. "You certainly have the most interesting vocabulary I've heard, love"

"Yeah, you laugh it up. Have you ever tried cussing in Grandma Higginbotham's presence?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but now that you mentioned it, I'm looking forward to the chance to do it"

He grinned mischievously and I was starting to doubt if Grandma would be able to resist his charms.

"The car's a McLaren MP4-12C. I thought that if we were going to stomp on the Foundational Statement of the Pink Girls, we might as well do it with style"

The beast was something slick and aerodynamic, painted of a shade that varied between yellow, orange, and red.

He moved towards the passenger door to open it for me and he had to tell me to step back. Of course Edward would never drive a conventional car with regular doors…His friggin' doors opened to the side and upwards.

I stared at him in shock for a moment.

"Did you just open the door like in Back to the future's DeLorean?" I asked dumbfounded.

"Not exactly", he grimaced "DeLorean's have gull-wings; they open upward cos they're hinged to the roof. These are butterfly doors, hinged at the side instead of at top by the roof"

The expression in my face while he ranted about car doors must have amused him, cos he chuckled and motioned for me to get in the car shaking his head. I sat in and immediately looked out at the street. The way I was seeing the pavement didn't seem right. The car was low and with the door up there was too many space you don't usually get with a regular door.

"I promise they won't suddenly open and let you fall, love", he said before shutting the darn thing, going to his side and getting into the driver's seat.

He stared at me as soon as he sat, examining my clothes.

"And that's your idea of ratty, Bella? The pink society really did a number on you, uh?"

"What you were expecting exactly?"

I felt absolutely out of place dressed like this in his fancy car, how much worse could I have done to meet his approvement? I had failed again. I was pleased with my outfit of choice a couple of minutes before. I was almost expecting him to have a heart attack and refuse to take me for breakfast! Why did that man have to be so complicated?

"Oh, don't put that face, love! We were supposed to have fun and you're killing me with those lost puppy eyes. There's nothing wrong with your clothes, but I thought you were going to loosen up a little. When I look at you, I still see a pink lady…"

"But I'm not wearing pink! I even removed my nail polish!" I whined

"It's ok, love" he soothed. "I don't think my concept of ratty and yours are the same thing", he said chuckling.

"But at least tell me what I did wrong!"

By that time, I was already pouting, frustration making my eyes bright with angry tears.

"Not wrong, Bella, different. The first thing you have to understand is that there's not really right or wrong in the way you dress. People likes different styles, it's called diversity. And you're not better or worse according what you wear. Perhaps it was my fault; I thought you didn't want to be a pink lady, so I challenged you with this little game that seemed to have backfired on me. It's ok if you want to be what you call a 'pink lady', I wouldn't like you any less if you do, love"

"But I don't want to be like them! I hate being a pink lady! I just need you to explain me why, no matter what I do; I can seem to get rid of it!

I was being childish, I was aware of that, but my disappointment was speaking for me.

"Edward, if you were in front of my closet and you had to dress me "ratty", what would you have picked?"

"Bella, if I was in your bedroom and you were undressed beside me, I doubt I'd have covered your body with anything…We'd have had to order take out, cos there was no way in hell we would be sitting here discussing ratty clothes."

I gasped at his bluntness. The way those green eyes were staring at me made me squirm in my sit.

"I'm sorry, love. I wasn't trying to harass you. I promise I'll try to behave, but you have to understand one thing: I think you're extremely attractive, and I find it very difficult to control myself around you."

I didn't know how he did it, but he had a way to make me feel beautiful, desiderable. Maybe it was the intensity in his gaze, maybe the edge in his tone, but It was hard not to believe in his words.

Fortunately, he decided to lighten up the mood again.

"Well, let's see what can do to un-pink you after breakfast, love. I don't think it's very wise to discuss such sensitive matters before we both have our share of caffeine. Do you have any favourite coffee shop? You don't strike me as a Starbucks kind of girl"

"Starbucks is fine, I guess, but I must warn you: I'm not big on fancy flavoured espressos, I just want plain brewed black coffee and some pastries."

"What? No Triple caramel soy espresso with raspberry sprinkles?" he teased. "I always thought those were on top in the Pink Book!"

"Naw, I actually drew the line at the 'Cinnamon Dolce Latte with caramel and chocolate mocha syrup', Edward!" I informed him in my best 'bitch, plweeease!' tone.

"In that case", he said chuckling, "would you like to visit my fav coffee shop, my lady? I'm warning you that they don't have any concoctions with crazy names, and the place is not what you'd call elegant, but they have the best coffee in AC"

"Lead the way, fair knight. Right now I'd kill for a cup of good ole java with no whipped crazy on top"

He started the car and pulled away, heading to the less populated area of the pier.

The engine of his car sounded full and powerful. I pictured a caged wild beast inside, barely restrained. I had never felt something like that, but then again, I guessed that wild animal of a car he was driving matched the owner perfectly.

"At least you had the decency to avoid the Caesars", I told him relieved as soon as it was clear that we were going in the opposite direction of the big casinos. "I knew not even you were so brave to go in there dressed like this"

"You think I give a rat's ass of what they would think, Bella?"

He was smirking, that dangerous demeanour that told me he was trouble the first time I saw him, noticeable again.

"I won't go to the Caesars for two reasons: first, I said I wanted a good cup of coffee and second, I'm supposed to be the competition, remember?"

I felt like an idiot. Of course, he wouldn't go there. He owned two casinos! Why would he have breakfast at one of his rival's place? I wasn't even sure which hotels were his.

"Are we going to one of your hotels?"

"Nah! They're in the opposite direction; you could say I'm actually running away from my hotels. If I go in there, they will descend like vultures on me and I'd have to work instead of having breakfast. We're going to a small coffee shop in the old pier; I always go there when I want to be in peace."

The coffee shop looked old fashioned and cosy. The interior was gorgeous. It was vintage and atemporal at the same time. High roofs with old fans hanging from the ceiling, ochre and black tiles covered the floor, small wooden tables and Viennese chairs scattered through the room. They even had a small upright piano against one of the lateral walls and an old jukebox in the furthest corner.

I loved it!

The most surprising thing was that Edward took my hand and strolled in as if he were at home, heading directly to the counter. A man in his sixties was placing pastries under a glass dome and smiled warmly when he saw him.

"Edward! Always good to see you, kid! He greeted "And in such good company", he added looking appraisingly at me. I couldn't help but smiling back at him.

Edward reached across the counter and patted his shoulder grinning.

"Don't try to steal my lady, you old chap! You already have your hands full with Eva"

The man nodded with an amused look.

"Why are you still standing there, half-pint? Go and do your thing; God knows we only endure you cos you have an impeccable taste in music.

Edward grinned from ear to ear and it was very difficult to blend his bad boy appearance with the childlike gesture in his face. He dragged me along the room to the jukebox, his juvenile enthusiasm never leaving him.

"I'd offer you to pick a song, but I doubt you know any of the ones inside this beauty", he said looking at the jukebox with appreciation. He fumbled a little with the controls, as if he wasn't sure which song he wanted, and then something moved behind the glass front and the music started.

"See the pyramids along the Nile, watch the sun rise on a tropic isle…" A lady sang.

"I know the song," I said excited. "Tory Amos covers that one in Mona Lisa Smile!"

"This is actually a cover too, but it's my favourite one, 'GI Jo' Stafford, recorded in 1952"

I stood there, swaying to the music, feeling inside an old black & white movie, till Edward put his hand on my shoulder and asked me to dance with him.

We dance slowly in front of the jukebox, and for the first time in my life, I felt completely happy. I didn't care that we were dancing in the morning, in the middle of a coffee shop, I didn't care that people could be staring at us, the only thing that mattered was the two of us. I felt safe.

When the song ended, he quickly picked another one and then he led me to a nearby table.

"Well, well, well…Look who decided to honour this fine establishment!" a mature woman with a strange accent said smilling, and Edward stood up and hugged her tenderly.

"Eva! I thought you weren't here today! I haven't seen you when we arrived"

"I doubt you'd have seen me even if I was dancing a sevillana on the piano" She shook her head in disbelief "You only seemed to have eyes for the beautiful young lady over there"

She came to my side of the table and extended her hand to me. I was about to shake it but she used it to pull me up and give me a warm hug.

After the introductions, we finally ordered our coffee though it was more lunchtime than breakfast. Eva asked us if she could choose the pastries to bring us and when we accepted her offer, she disappeared behind the counter.

I looked at Edward who was staring at me too. I wondered how many people knew that side of him. Was that an image he was trying to sell to me?

"What are you thinking, love?"

"Edward…how many women have you brought here?"

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**A/N: The deals are still up: reviewers get a teaser and when I hit the 100th review with this story, I'll post an outtake (Edward POV), so you're interested, you know the drill: Scroll down to where that sneaky box hides and tell me you're there (Rumour says that if you review you get free booze *winks* but don't tell anybody, it's a secret)**

*** If you'd like to see Edward's car or how the Coffee Shop looks like, pics are posted on my blog (linked in my profile)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chappie is dedicated to Vanquish13, MandineF and forsey1987  
Hugs and mwahhs like always to the lovelies neyvada, cullenmeadow, OCDMumof3 and notthatamanda**

neyvada: To know if my Edward is inked, you'll have to wait till Bella gets him naked :P

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**Disclaimer****:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Previously in Deep Ocean:

_I looked at Edward who was staring at me too. I wondered how many people knew that side of him. Was that an image he was trying to sell to me? _

"_What are you thinking, love?"_

"_Edward…how many women have you brought here?"_

Chapter 7: _Giraffes and Gypsy Spells_

Edward's face went from playful and relaxed, to pale and expressionless in 1.2 seconds.

_Bet your ability to ruin his day is better than his car's acceleration rate, genius!_

He rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he looked at me again, he seemed sad.

"I could answer that to you, but you probably won't believe me anyway…so why don't you ask Eva instead, love?"

"Ask me what, Edward?"

Eva was standing between us near the table, with a tray on her hands, and an amused look in her face. It was obvious she had some idea of what we were talking about, so there was no use in lying.

"Bella wants to know how many women I had brought here, Eva," he said, his tone was patient but somehow had an edge of tiredness.

Eva cracked up laughing, slightly throwing her head back in her amusement, but still managing to hold the tray perfectly balanced.

"Oh, let's see," she stepped closer to the table and started sorting out the food, putting several plates and a mug of coffee in front of each of us. All the while making a show of counting and mumbling things to herself. When she finished serving the food, she put the tray under her arm, and stared at me.

"The answer is simple, cielo. You're the first woman I've ever seen with Edward. I'd have thought he was a monk…or gay."

Her laugh echoed like bells through the room. Edward groaned, and that seemed to amuse her even more.

"Aw, don't look at me like that, cariño!" she said to him lifting his chin with her hand. "I know that you're not gay, not that I have anything against them either, but seriously boy! I've seen you turn down more girls that I cared to count along the years. Especially after playing the piano."

Edward appeared embarrassed as she walked away.

"Piano?"

"Sometimes I play when I'm stressed. Playing the piano seem to relax me in a way no other thing does."

He looked unsure, vulnerable. I didn't know what to do to make him feel better. He had the gift to always tell me what I needed to hear, but sadly, I couldn't find a way to return the favour.

"I'd like to listen you play sometime."

"I'm not sure you'd like it, love…I play old jazz standards, songs you wouln't even recognize."

"You like old music..." I didn't know if I was telling that to him or to me, there was a hint of longing in my words. I wished I could have something to love the way he seemed to love his music, something non-work related to find solace in when my days weren't the best.

We both started eating our breakfast in silence.

"The music…" he said after a while, "it reminds me of my grandfather. Pops loved jazz, and he was a big Elvis fan," he said chuckling.

"He had this huge collection of 45 rpm records, and we used to play them for hours…He would tell me stories about the artists, or the times he'd seen a particular Big Band. He used to tell me: 'this is part of your education, runt, there's not way a lass you like will ever tell you no if you woo her properly with some sweet music.'"

"Guess I ruined your grandpa's theories."

"Not so fast, lass… It's not over till the last card is played. He also taught me that some bonnie lasses were very hard to get, but those were the ones worth the effort."

I looked at him, and couldn't repress my smile, he was back to being playful and flirty. I was starting to think that I was enjoying his attention too much, but there was nothing I could do about it: the man seemed to attract me like a moth to the flame.

When his mood lightened up, I really began enjoying the food Eva had served me.

Jeez! Edward was right! Even a little cold, it was the best coffee I had in years! And the muffins, and scones were to die for!

I might have been eating with more enthusiasm than courtesy allowed, because Edward was staring at me with his signature smirk on his lips.

Eva came back to refill our cups, and brought us two plates with something that looked like custard, and small glasses of a clear orange liquid.

Edward must have recognized the treats because his face was the one of a kid on Christmas morning.

"I thought you'd like something sweet before you left.", she said with a knowing smile.

I had the feeling he came to this Coffee Shop when he needed to be pampered, and I doubted the owners had any problem with that arrangement. They both seemed to treat him as if he were family; there was a warmness in Eva's ways that told me she really cared about him.

"This, my dear, is 'flan'", she said pointing at the custard-thing "and my mother would have kicked me if I'd served it to you without the appropriate glass of 'Embrujo Andaluz'."

I stared at the food with distrust while Eva left snickering, and Edward could barely keep his face straight.

"I take it as Pink Ladies are not big fans of trying new things, love?"

I nodded blushing. He was already shoving that flan-thing in his mouth with delight.

Then he did what I wasn't expecting, he offered me a spoonful of his flan.

The spoon an inch of my mouth, and his compelling gaze on me, I opened and let him feed me.

Oh, boy! It was delicious! So creamy and soft…it's velvety texture melting in my mouth.

I moaned, and he groaned, his deep green eyes fixed on my lips.

I'm not sure how we managed to finish our dessert. The sexual tension in the air was so thick I felt exposed having such an intimate moment in public.

The liquor was smooth; with a bittersweet taste of oranges and maybe some spice I couldn't pin-point. Edward explained to me that the name meant 'spell', and it was supposed to captivate you, put you under the magic charms of the region of Spain where Eva was born.

I thought that Eva was a sneaky gypsy who was trying to put me under a spell, but not exactly the same one Edward had described. More like under the spell of a certain green-eyed creature in ripped jeans and leather jacket across the table.

We said our goodbyes, and decided to take a stroll along the boardwalk.

The conversation quickly went back to our first topic, but we'd already had breakfast, so I guessed it was ok to ask again.

"Are you going to explain me now what I did wrong with my outfit?"

"You're not gonna let it go, right?" he asked grimacing, and I shook my head.

"Oh, well, if you're gonna be stubborn…"

He looked at my shoes, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Bella, sweets, how did you think that a pair of Nike Air Max would help you with the ratty image?"

I shrugged.

"But you said sneakers, Edward! These are sport shoes!", I defended, flapping my hands in the general direction of my feet "And they're the only ones I own…I bought them once when Alice got us memberships in a nearby gym, but I stopped going after a few classes…"

Please, don't ask why… please don't ask why, I chanted in my head, but he appeared more confused by the fact I didn't own ratty sneakers, so he spared me the gym debacle explanation.

"Not even a pair of chucks?"

I shook my head no, and he sighed.

"Let's discuss the blazer, then. Why not an oversized sweat shirt, a hoodie, or leather jacket?"

I proceeded to describe Alice's pillage-and-burn raids to him. He was horrified by the time I finished. I didn't think he was going to like Ali too much.

"Why don't you lock your door to avoid that best friend of yours with no respect for your privacy get anywhere near your things?" he said aghast.

I had the feeling that trying to explain my relationship with Alice to him would be a hard task, so I said with a resigned tone "My bedroom door has no lock, and it's not like I have anything to hide from Ali…I don't really own anything I'd want to keep for sentimental reasons…"

We stopped walking, and I stared at the floor; he cupped my chin, and made me look at him. There was tenderness in his eyes again.

"Bella…what am I going to do with you, love…?"

He held me to his body, and I rested my head on his shoulder, he let go after a few minutes.

"Look at my boots and tell me what you see."

"Uhm…that they've seen better days…?" I replied hesitantly, making him chuckle.

"Now look at my jacket"

I ran my hand over the soft leather. It felt nice, worn, and inviting.

"Now tell me - do you think I manage a casino dressed like this?"

"I guess not…"

"No, I don't. My clothes are worn 'cause the casinos are work, but when I'm not working, I like being me. Do you even know who the real Bella is, love? What does Bella like to wear when she's not working?"

I stared at him blankly. He was right. I had no idea who the real Bella was, I always had tried to be the Bella others wanted, never putting much attention in what I really wanted or needed.

"Do you like leather jackets, love?"

"I think…" I remembered the way his jacket felt under my fingers, and I couldn't help a smile.

"Yes. I definitely like leather jackets," I said convinced. For some reason that discovery made me feel giddy.

"Come on," he said pulling my arm, "we have leather jackets to buy, and Pink Ladies Foundational Statements to disgrace"

* * *

**A/N: ****The deals are still up: reviewers get a teaser and when I hit the 100th review with this story, I'll post an outtake (Edward POV), so if you're interested, you know the drill: Scroll down to where that sneaky box hides and tell me you're there (Rumour says that if you review Edward shows in your dreams in all his badass glory*winks*)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**This chappie is dedicated to LucianaMatos, forsey1987, neyvada, cullenmeadow, OCDMumof3 and notthatamanda**

**Hugs and mwahhs all around, ladies: you rock**

* * *

**Disclaimer****:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 8: _"Ratty-chic Giraffes"_

How I ended up leaving Wilsons Outlet, wearing a flashy black and white leather jacket, and carrying another dark green one in a bag along with my tweed blazer, was something my brain had a hard time processing.

At first I thought we were going to Hamilton right away, but to my dismay Edward insisted we visited a few other stores before hitting the mall.

The first place he dragged me in was a nightmare in the disguise of a biker's shop. He seemed so happy in there that I tried to endure and let him be, but in the end he must have seen my discomfort so he agreed to go to the outlet instead.

Edward moved in the city like a fish in the water and I felt like a fool each time he mentioned a shop and I had to confess that I haven't been in there in my life.

One would think that having lived in Atlantic City for almost 4 years I should have known the city like the back of my hand, but sadly I only went from home to work and then back home most of the time; and the times I've been somewhere else it was during one of the rare dates I had with Mike or the times that Ali was bored and decided to share her misery with me. I loved Alice to death, but let's say her interests and mine didn't get along well.

When we finally arrived to Hamilton Mall I felt a little more comfortable, at least it was a place I knew well, 'though I still didn't feel so at ease with my worn out jeans and general appearance.

Edward guided me through the halls till we got to the store that apparently sold the Doc Martens.

To my surprise, he encouraged me to look at the shoes and discuss what I liked. After my discovery earlier that I wasn't even sure what I liked anymore, I tried to look at everything with untrained eyes.

We bought three different pairs of boots, only one of them being some vintage green Doc Martens to match my new jacket. I actually picked the other two cause I liked them.

It was so new and exhilarant that I even allowed myself to check the high-heeled shoes. Not to buy them, of course, but at least to admire them from afar.

"Why don't you try those on, love?"

I looked at him as if he had spurted another head. The shoes I was drooling over were a pair of black peep-toes with about 5 inches heels.

"Edward, have you seen the height of these heels?"

"Yes, and I've also seen your face when you were looking at them. Try them on, Bella. I can guarantee you like them"

He asked one of the assistants to bring them in my size and I reluctantly sat down to try them on. After all, the most embarrassing part of going shopping for shoes was telling my shoe size and Edward had already charmed that information out of me earlier.

_Hell, he'd probably have charmed your panties the hell off too but you had to open your big mouth…_

"They're lovely" I said gloomily "but I can't buy them. I'd look like a palm-tree and nobody would want to stand beside me"

Images of people asking me to bend my knees for the photo flashed fast through my mind, I didn't think I could take that humiliation again.

"I'm here, standing right next to you, love"

He put his hand on the small of my back and kissed my shoulder tenderly.

"Let's make a deal, Bella. We get the shoes and I promise to take you anywhere you want so you can show them off"

"Where's the catch?"

"I get bragging rights. I'd be the lucky bastard on the arm of the beauty in the fuck-me-pumps" he whispered.

_And he scores! Bedhair 5: Ponytail 0! And she goes to the bench!_

Bitch! She always decided to get sassy when I couldn't fight back.

Hell, I couldn't even remember my name! Why had he to be so darn sexy?

When I felt his warm breathe close to my ear I couldn't erase from my mind his kisses and licks at the party.

I couldn't help wondering how making love to him would feel like.

I wanted to shove him into his 'back to the future' car and…

_And what, rookie? Do you have any idea what to do with a man like this? Do you think your vast experience in faking orgasms and going at it in silence with the lights off would suffice?_

As much as I hated what my inner voice was saying, she was right…My sex life sucked and I didn't know how to pleasure a man like him.

Edward took advantage of my broodiness and we left the shoe shop with a few more pairs of heels I'd never get to wear.

All in all, leaving my sucky sex life aside, it had been a great day. The time we spent at Eva's and then the shopping trip had been fun and I was starting to discover what things I liked. The hard part was going to be to explain Alice why she couldn't rid of my new acquisitions.

The image of her trying to toss my new leather jacket in the Salvation Army's box made me angry.

_Over my dead body! No way in hell I'd let her throw away the gifts from Edward!_

Even when I still had to deal with the 'Mike situation' and knowing that I didn't have anything to offer to a man like Edward, I wouldn't let that stop me from enjoying whatever part of him I could get.

That realization improved me mood again.

Edward's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it. It must have been work-related cause his tone was firm and serious. He didn't look too pleased when he ended the call and came back walking towards me.

"Do you mind if we make a quick stop at the Twilight before I drive you home, love? There's something I need to take care of."

When we reached the casino I was glad he took the lateral entrance and pulled into a private area in the underground parking lot. The Twilight was one of the most elegant hotels in the city and the thought of using the front door dressed in my new ratty-chic style wasn't all too appealing.

He used a key-card to open the elevator and we both got in. He typed some code in the electronic panel and then he stood next to me as we started moving up.

The small size of the elevator made me very aware of how close we were and that there was no place to hide. Suddenly my mind began going through multiple situations of what could happen into that tiny box. Most of the situations involved bodies grinding against each other, heavy panting and legs wrapped around waists.

My heart started beating faster, my face flushed…Damn! I was reading too many steamy novels!

Of course, Edward chose that moment to stare at me.

One second he was standing beside me, and the next he was pinning me against the elevator wall; my palms, resting motionless over his chest, his hands, on either side of my head.

His face was so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. That hint of danger, present in his eyes again.

He bent his head slowly, deliberately and rubbed his lips along my jaw to my ear. He flicked his tongue around it making me shiver and bit my earlobe gently.

The elevator made a tinkling noise and the doors opened.

He motioned for me to step out, following just behind me, his hand never leaving my back.

We walked across the hall and into a sitting room.

"Make yourself comfortable, Bella. I need to discuss something with my security manager; I'd be in the office next door. It won't take long, promise"

He leaned over and whispered in my ear "I'm trying to be good here, love…but you're trying to kill me"

And then he walked away, closing the double doors behind him.

* * *

**A/N**:

******The deals are still up: reviewers get a teaser and when I hit the 100th review with this story, I'll post an outtake (Edward POV), so if you're interested, you know the drill: Scroll down to where that sneaky box hides and tell me you're there (If you review, I may let you pick a tattoo for my Edward*winks*)**

******Question: Have you ever bought something you thought you'd never wear, but you bought it anyway cos you liked it?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Dedicated to Angelik Angel, jjem, Stems71, wendemyre, debu, c12, MandineF, twibam1 and Rock N Roll Can Have ur Soul.**

**Angelik Angel: You crack me up! Yup, your contribution to the reviews was certainly useful and helped me decide to post the EPOV earlier than I planned **

**And, as always, especial hugs and mwahs to 'Usual Suspects': neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3, forsey1987 and cullenmeadow.**

**You rock, ladies!**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 9: ****_Bond. Giraffe Bond._**

Edward was very upset after the short meeting with his security manager. He didn't go into details, but I had the feeling that something wasn't right in the hotel. He insisted I stayed for dinner, even when I tried to excuse myself and leave. I didn't want to disturb him more than he already was, so I suggested it'd be better if I left him to deal with his casino problems in peace. Apparently not one of my best ideas, he got more nervous, and I had never seen Edward like that. He looked frightened. I couldn't imagine what kind of thing could scare a man like him, but of one thing I was certain, it couldn't be good.

He ordered room service, and showed me around while we waited for our meal.

All the pent house of the Twilight was assigned to his private quarters, aside from a section on the east wing that housed an independent deluxe suite, but the layout was great, and they functioned as completely separated areas. Each part had their own terraces that faced different streets, and in Edward's side there was even a swimming pool.

I couldn't picture him in one of our local crowded beaches, so I guessed it made sense. Still, the thought of him bringing random girls to his private oasis made me feel uncomfortable.

_What? You thought he was really a monk like Eva suggested?_

I wasn't really expecting him to live isolated on the top of his _tower_, like an improved, modern version of Quasimodo, but the more I knew about him, the less my mental image of him seemed to fit in his life.

He's got a gorgeous dinning room with a small kitchen area on one side, and a good stocked bar on the other. Everything looked modern, and expensive, but so opposed to the Edward I knew that it seemed out of place.

Same thing happened with the rest of the rooms he showed me, from the living room to the study and the game room. Even his bedroom felt wrong. It was big, luxurious…and dead. Everything was generic, as in _high-end hotel_ kind of generic, expensive and soulless.

How dared he try to imply I was the only one with problems?

He lived at a hotel, and even with the excuse of being the owner, there wasn't a trace of him in his entire place.

All the rooms were beautiful and sterile, there were no framed photos, books, or knick-knacks, nothing that said a person lived permanently in there, and not just somebody who was just passing by and would be gone the next day. For all I knew, his suitcases could be packed inside his closet.

I felt bad for him.

When the food arrived, the waiter went with the delivery cart directly to the dining room, while Edward took my hand, and led me to the table. The waiter was very formal and polite, and considering the way he moved in the suite, I wondered if Edward usually ate there alone. The man seemed surprised the moment he saw me, and though he quickly schooled his face back into its relatively expressionless state, I could catch a glimpse of it.

_Interesting! Not so many romantic dinners for two at the Twilight's penthouse…_

Even my inner voice sounded more relaxed after that discovery.

Edward looked restless throughout our meal, barely smiling and putting too much effort in the conversation. I wondered what he wasn't telling me. By the time we finished, he started stalling again, as if he didn't want me to leave. He even sent somebody to pick my shopping bags from his car and bring them to the room. I thought he was crazy, because why would I want the bags up there, to have to carry them down again when I left? I didn't mention it because he seemed a little more relaxed once they brought the bags. Perhaps he had some OCD tendencies I haven't noticed before.

Finally we made our way to the elevator, but he stopped once again to make a call. The other person should have been waiting for his instructions, because they only crossed a few words.

The thought of the elevator made me a little excited, but Edward's demeanour that evening didn't let my hopes raise too much. Besides, carrying all the bags would have made difficult to try anything, not that I doubted the man was talented, but I was aware he wasn't a porpoise.

He didn't even glance at me on the way down, all the time speaking on his cell phone.

When the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened, I discovered that we weren't in the underground parking lot, but in a corridor that led to the entrance hall.

A huge man dressed in a dark suit with an earpiece in place approached us. It seemed that he was the one Edward had been talking to in the elevator, because he patted his back, and told him he had _everything_ under control.

Another burly man dressed in a similar fashion walked toward us, nodded, and escorted us to the main door.

I was so curious about what was going on, that I haven't even considered my clothes. I felt a little self-conscious when a few people looked in our way, but the _Bond movie_Edward and his staff were enacting had me way more engrossed.

The two guys flanked us as we walked into the street, and got in a black Mercedes.

Edward and I sat in the back, while _burly-guy-number 1_ went back into the hotel, and_burly-guy-number 2_ got in the driver's seat.

I had always been a patient person, and I did't usually tell others how to manage their business, but this situation had me in the middle of the action, and I wasn't precisely a_Bond Girl_ to be honest.

I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Edward, what's going on?"

"Don't worry, love, everything's ok."

"Why don't you tell yourself that, Edward? I think you missed the memo."

He sighed, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

I felt bad, because I knew I was being bitchy, but I always got bitchy when I was anxious. Besides I might have been the one making him uneasy, but he was acting as if we were in a spy movie, and didn't even consider sharing his reasons with me.

"We had a problem earlier, Bella. We're still investigating it, but it appears that somebody planted a device to run electronic interference; we lost the sections 5 and 8 of the surveillance camera system for at least 20 minutes."

"Was it a robbery?" I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand. The idea of being in the middle of a casino robbery wasn't appealing at all.

"No. We have a different camera system in those sections; they're wired to our own surveillance room, the police department, and the security company. The odd thing's that the cameras compromised are not placed in any area that moves money, or has anything to do with the casino itself. As a security measure, we closed all the other entrances, leaving only the main one to watch."

"So you think that…"

"I can't be sure of anything, not till the investigation is over. But the only reason we could come up to explain this, considering the cameras involved, is that somebody wanted to get in or out of the hotel without being seen."

"A kidnapper? An assassin?" I was terrorized by that thought.

"Calm down, love," he tried to sooth me taking my hand in his. "I wouldn't go so far, there are a lot of crazy things that could happen at a casino hotel, and most of them wouldn't make sense at all to you. For all, I know it could have been a guest with geeky tendencies pulling a stunt to have something to tell to his friends, it has happened before. Or there's always the chance of corporate espionage…"

_Oh, fudge! And I was about to tell you to put the popcorn down that there was no movie…_

Edward helped me with the shopping bags once we arrived to my house, and asked me if I was ok. I wasn't anywhere near fine, but I lied to avoid adding more problems to him.

He hugged me tight, and left.

I went to my bedroom, changed into my sleeping shirt, and tried to sleep, but I couldn't help thinking about Edward. Was he all right? Was he even going to sleep that night? Was he safe? What if the assassin theory was the right one? What if somebody was there trying to kill Edward?

I jumped out of my bed, and started pacing frantically through my room.

There was nothing I could do to.

I couldn't call him to make sure he was ok, because I risked waking him up if he was already sleeping, or interrupting him, if he was gathered with his security staff.

_And he'll realize you're a pathetic little girl with stalkerish tendencies…_

I started unpacking my shopping bags to busy myself doing something other than worrying.

I had already hung the jackets in my closet, when I stumbled upon a small backpack purse I didn't recognize inside one of the bags.

A black leather backpack that clearly belonged to a woman. The problem was that the woman wasn't me…

* * *

**A/N: And this is starting to get interesting *evil grin* Theories anybody? I want to listen to your theories (And before some smarty-pants decides to steal from Twilight: nopes, no radioctive spiders involved :P)**

**For the ones who read the 'sneak a peek' from Edward POV yesterday, remember that it's fully posted in my blog now (link in my profile) I'll posted in here as a separated story as soon as I put some order in my files.**

***  
It's a fact: Fanfic authors tend to save Edward from assassins and other dangers when they get reviews *winks***


	10. Chapter 10

**Dedicated to Angelik Angel and twibam1**

**And, of course, like always, especial hugs and mwahs to 'Usual Suspects': neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3, forsey1987 and cullenmeadow. Should I name them the Official DO Club? *winks***

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Important note:** The moment Bella wakes up in this chapter, she's in the same day Edward was in the Outtake. I didn't intend to confuse anybody, but it seems that wasn't clear, that's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of multiple POVs.

Previously in Deep Ocean:

_I had already hung the jackets in my closet, when I stumbled upon a small backpack purse I didn't recognize inside one of the bags._

_A black leather backpack which clearly belonged to a woman. The problem was that the woman wasn't me…_

__Chapter 10_: Out of character Giraffe_

I placed the purse on the bed end bench, while a million of things went through my mind. Should I open it? I wasn't even sure if I wanted to look inside…Could it belong to Edward's girlfriend? What if I opened it to look for an identification card, and ended up finding more than I wanted to know?

It was a possibility.

If I analyzed the situation, that could even explain the surprise in the waiter's eyes earlier. Maybe he wasn't amazed because a woman dining there wasn't a regular occurrence, as I first foolishly thought. Perhaps he was taken aback because I wasn't the woman he was expecting to see there.

How stupid could I've been? After all, he never claimed he was single, and I have never asked. I've just assumed.

_Jealous? Nice touch, buttercup! It's not like you don't have a boyfriend too._

Of course, there was that small detail too. I still had to talk to Mike, and even if he agreed to give me some time to figure things up, I wasn't supposed to use it to jump Edward. I had no right to get jealous if he had a girlfriend…or twenty. I was the one with the unfinished business, and very out of his league in general, independently of whether I was in a relationship or not.

The thought of him being with another girl, however, bothered me more than I would confess.

I decided that I had to clean up my act with Mike first. It just had to be done, although the feeling that I'd never come back to him was growing considerably. Maybe I didn't have the guts to try and steal Edward away from his woman, but being with Mike for the wrong reasons was something unacceptable. The few days I spent with Edward had changed my mind drastically. I was not that girl anymore, and even if there was still a lot of _pink_ in me, I was more hopeful to find what I really wanted, and the little white house with the picket fence was climbing fast in my list of _things-not-fun_.

I set my alarm clock, and went to bed, determined to catch Mike as soon as he left his office to have the 'talk'.

.

.

.

.

"You don't understand, Mike. I'm not saying that you're doing anything wrong, I just have a lot of things in my head now, and I think I'd be good for us to have some time alone to think…"

"Bella, is this because you were expecting me to propose sooner, and you feel I'm not taking you seriously?"

"No, Mike, I'd never think…"

"Because it's not true, Bella. I know I've been very caught up with work lately, there's been some changes at the office, I'm not really sure where I'm standing anymore. Part of the shares had been sold, and there's a new stockholder around. I know this shouldn't had affected us, and I know it's not a good excuse, but I was waiting till things calmed down to make a decision. I didn't know you were going to feel disappointed and want out."

He paused, and gulped some water. I was so anxious, and frustrated that didn't open my mouth.

"Couples need time with they have serious issues, Bella. We're perfect. You'll see when things settle down. We don't need time. We can buy a house, and you won't even need to work at the restaurant anymore. You can be at home, and wait for me to have dinner together…"

"But _I _need time!"

I didn't know what made me yell at him, I didn't usually raise my voice in public places, but his description of the life he was expecting set off all my alarms.

Mike was shocked. He was staring at me with a mix of confusion and hurt I couldn't take.

"Mike, you're a great guy, any girl would be happy to be with you…And I swear you didn't do anything wrong, you're perfect the way you are…"

_Perfect for another girl, one that's not sitting in front on you right now, to be specific._

"You mean we're good now, right?"

He looked pleased, I wanted to growl. I didn't seem to find the right words to tell him that I wanted to run the hell off in the other way. Run away from him and his future plans as if they were the Ebola virus.

I tried again.

"Mike, we're fine, but…What I mean is that I love you, you'll always been great to me…I don't want to hurt you, but I really need time. We've been together for three years; you never get fun…Why don't you go out? I don't know, meet people, have fun…?"

.

.

.

.

By the time I reached Mela's, I had replayed our conversation in my mind about a dozen times. No matter how I looked at it, I still wasn't sure if Mike had understood what I meant. I didn't want to be blunt with him because I knew I'd hurt him, and he didn't deserve it, but speaking kindly apparently didn't convey what I wanted.

_You should have tried the 'It's not you, it's me'_

I almost laughed out loud at that thought. Yeah, I sucked at relationships, but even _I_wasn't that crass.

I was glad I was early, because I had time to finish placing the orders before the girls arrived. For some reason, they always used the storage room to have their girly talks, and that day in particular I wasn't sure if I could handle them. Besides, they were still waiting for some kind of explanation about Edward that I wasn't very willing to give.

I went to the kitchen to see if Santiago had already arrived. I wanted to talk to him and see if he knew how to prepare that flan-thing Eva served us the previous day. I wasn't very acquainted with Spanish cuisine because, according to Renata, the Mediterranean Sea ended at the Cote d'Azur, nothing west from there was on our menu. I thought it'd be a nice touch adding some new recipes, and considering our shipment from Greece was still delayed, we'd have to make changes anyway.

Santiago was delighted at the possibility to add some Spanish dishes. He confirmed me that it was his area of expertise because his family was originally from Spain, and he had spent a few summers working with a Spanish chef.

We agreed to have some samples for the following day, and I left the kitchen to make my first round of the evening.

About 8:30 Renata called me to her office; I haven't even noticed her arrival. At first I didn't think anything of it, because she usually called me when she was bored and wanted to know how the day was going without having to step a foot out of the room.

I started to worry when I saw her face, but I closed the door as requested, and sat, bracing myself for whatever thing had got her Victoria's Secret undies in a twist.

"Bella, do you think I'm an idiot?"

_Hell to the yes, barbie!_

"No, Renata, why would I think that? Could you please explain me what is bothering you? I'm sure it's only a misunderstanding."

"Don't you dare use that patronizing tone with me! I know what you were planning! First you come here, to _my_ restaurant, and act as if you owned the place; then you trick, God knows how, Edward Cullen go shopping with you, and buy you stuff? Do you really think that you can catch a man like him? I can't even start to imagine what kind of lies you could have told him, cos believe me I've seen lots women hanging on his arm, and they were bombshells. Do you even own a mirror?"

I was so stunned that I couldn't even open my mouth. I was listening to her words, and still it felt like my brain was having a hard time processing them. How did she know I had been with Edward? And most importantly, why did she think I was tricking him into anything?

She must have taken my silence as a confession, because she went on.

"I know what you're planning! I've seen a lot of little shits like you before, so drop your scaredy-cat act! You told him you owned Mela's, right? You thought you'd use _my prestige_ to make him think you were his equal! You had it all set up from the beginning; you took advantage of my kindness to take over the restaurant, and then waited for a suitable victim to show up! You, little backstabber! If you think you're going to catch him to marry you so you can make it back to society, you have another thing coming!"

_Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, bitch!_

"Renata, you don't have any idea of what you're talking about. I didn't tell Edward anything but the truth, I'm not trying to trick him into marriage, I'm not trying to have a place in society…"

I really tried to reason with her. I wasn't even sure why, but I felt the need to explain myself to her, but she had to interrupt me again. I was livid.

"You think I'm not aware of your story? Your family disowned you 'cos you didn't have what was needed to marry the right guy, so you just came here with your tail between your legs, and thought you had a second shot at it…"

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Renata!"

_Say what? Since when are we on the same side? You go, Swan!_

Apparently when my mental filters weren't working, my inner voice was unleashed. Who knew? I've never been so angry in my life.

Renata was staring at me with her mouth open in shock; it seemed that she wasn't expecting the uncensored version of my thoughts either.

"You're f…"

"Don't bother, Renata," I interrupted "I quit."

I went to my office to grab my purse, and told her on my way out "And since according to you, I was trying to take over _your_ restaurant, I won't give you the month warning. I'm sure you'd want to manage Mela's yourself to avoid anybody else trying to _backstab_ you. Consider it a parting gift and reimbursement for the way you treated me, I won't even cash my last pay check, so we're even."

When I walked out of the door for the last time, I was still angry, but there was also another feeling. Could it be relief?

I felt like I was taking the reins of my life for the first time ever. And it felt good…

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**News flash! Reviews make sexy Edward show up in the next chappie in all his hotness glory *winks***


	11. Chapter 11

**Dedicated to GottaLoveFanFiction, myhubbyissoedward, susanreader, Alc1002, jbrjaw27,Angelik Angel,Stems71 and ducksandruns.**

**And, of course, like always, especial hugs and mwahs to 'Usual Suspects': neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3, and cullenmeadow.**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 11: _Giraffes & Stormy Weather_

I noticed a big storm was coming while I was driving back home. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't acknowledge the weather until a lightning illuminated the top of the buildings. I was glad I was almost at home; we had fairly good weather for the most part of the year, but that kind of storms were usually nasty. Being so close to the sea, the wind could be quite violent, and I was expecting the rain to pour heavily too.

I opened my door when the first raindrops started tapping on the awning over my door.

I wasn't used to be at home so early, and not having Alice around added to the oddness I felt. I haven't brought food with me from Mela's like usual, so I decided to check in the kitchen to see if there was something to grab. I would have ordered take out, like Ali and I did on most of my days off, but with the storm I didn't think it was an option.

I finally opted for some ice-cream, because everybody knows that ice-cream is the mandatory diet for girls having crappy days. I wasn't really hungry, more like anxious, so I guessed a sugar overdose would help.

I haven't heard from Edward in all day aside from a short text around noon. He wanted to check on me and make sure I was fine after the previous night's incident, so I texted back assuring him I was ok and didn't contact him again for the rest of the day. I figured he must have been busy and worried with all the situation at the hotel.

Once I settled on the couch with the carton of Breyer's triple chocolate ice-cream determined to pig out and die happy, I couldn't stop thinking about the stranger's purse. At first, I ignored it just in case it carried secrets I didn't want to know, but no matter what Granma Higginbotham said, things just don't go away if you ignore them.

_Soldier up, Swan!_

I placed the ice cream carton on the coffee table, and went upstairs to bring the purse.

I glared at the black purse for about twenty minutes, while eating the chocolaty goodness, but in the end, I knew I would have no choice but opening it.

The storm was hitting us full force by then, rain and thunders. It wasn't a common thing having that kind of storms in winter, they were usually a summer treat, but considering the previous days had been warm, and that evening the temperature had gone down abruptly, I guessed it wasn't something that unexpectable. I wouldn't have been surprised if it we had a blizzard next.

I turned on the television, even when it wasn't recommended during one of those storms, just to have some background noise to keep me company.

_Enough stalling, Swan! You look more like 'Chicken'! Bwack…bock..bock!_

I huffed at my inner bitch, and opened the purse, putting it upside down, and empting its contents on the couch.

Lipstick, powder compact, diary, tampons, papers, wet wipes, Kleenex, nail file, flashlight…screwdriver?

Wallet. That was the one I was looking for.

I took a deep breath, and opened it, looking at the licence.

Rosalie Lilian Cullen.

Cullen?

Could she be Edward's wife?

_Cosmo's list of most eligible __**bachelors, **__brain box...Does it ring any bells?_

I slapped my forehead. Of course, no wife.

Las Vegas, Nevada.

She had to be a relative, but what was the purse belonging to a resident of Vegas doing inAtlantic City?

_Going on a casino rendezvous?_

Hardy har har. I was about to mental slap my inner bitch when the sound of a thunder made the windows tremble. Then all went dark…

Great. The last thing I needed at that moment was being alone in a dark house. I silently prayed for the power to come back on, but after several minutes sitting in the dark, watching as the storm glowed intermittently on the walls creating strange shadows behind the furniture, I was starting to lose my hope. And my calm…

I blindly reached with my hand, and started looking for the small flashlight I remembered seeing when I emptied the purse on the coach.

That's when I heard the noises.

A few lighter thumps and a thud. Several minutes of silence, and then more noises. Creaking sounds, and what seemed like footsteps upstairs.

I went into full panic mode. I couldn't think clearly, I felt the urgency to run as fast as I could.  
.

.

"E…Edward…I need help…I…"

"Are you ok, Bella? Where are you, love? What happens?"

Edward was frantic. I had trouble speaking because my teeth were chattering from the cold and the nerves, but I finally managed to give him directions. He made me promise I'd stay there, and wait for him to pick me up.

I didn't know how long it took for him to arrive, but it must have been fast considering the state he was in when he got out of his car. He seemed to relax marginally when he saw I was unharmed, but he was still very anxious as he wrapped me in his coat, and escorted me to his car. I noticed there was another car with him, I guessed it must have been his security guys, but I was so cold and scared that I didn't ask about them.

Once at the Twilight, he left his car in the underground parking lot like the first time, and carried me bridal style to the elevator and all the way to his suite. He placed me gently on his couch disappearing for a few minutes.

I must have fainted or dozed off; because I felt some tugging and pulling, and next thing I was inside his hot tube.

The hot water hurt, I wanted to scream as my muscles started losing their numbness. He tried to calm me, talking gently and rubbing my limbs, till the painful sensations went away and I started feeling the warmth.

That's when discomfort was followed by another feeling…

I wanted to cry.

But not just a child's act to get attention, not from pain or any other feeling I could identify, I just needed to cry. It was something oppressive, an agony that was choking me. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty…

Have you ever seen a movie heroine crying? She would sob, cover her glossy eyes with her hand, and have her moment of misery. When she's done crying, her breathing would slow down, she'd smile, and the sun would smile back at her.

When I cried, it was a mess of tears, snot, and hiccups, with shrieks and babbling in the middle, and lots of awkwardness. By the time the full force hurricane was over, my nose would be red, my face, blotchy and swollen with bloodshot eyes, and I'd still breathe funny, sniffing and hiccupping from time to time.

If there was a secret to cry with dignity like the movie heroine, it wasn't a one that the Pink Ladies were privy to. I wondered if that was the reason that having crying outbursts was something severely advised to be done behind closed doors and alone.

So I cried the only way I knew. Noisily and messily…and in Edward's presence.

He held me while I cried my eyes out, wiping my face with a towel from time to time, murmuring soothing words, and caressing my hair.

At some point I felt him slide beside me and pull me into his lap, I wasn't really paying attention to anything, I just wanted to weird feeling to go away.

When the choking sensation receded, he started rocking me gently, still whispering words of comfort, and kissing my hair until I finally could breathe evenly, and I raised my head from his shoulder.

"Edward, what are you doing half dressed inside the hot tub?"

_Shouldn't you be asking what the heck __**you **__are doing naked on his lap, baby?_

Oh, crap! Sure enough, I was sitting stark naked on Edward's lap; he, at least, was wearing his jeans…inside the hot tub.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any weirder…

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**A/N: Let's see...we have a half nekid hot Edward in a tub...Do you think you can review so I get all happy and push the guy in the right direction? *winks***


	12. Chapter 12

**Dedicated to Angelik Angel, kikikinz, GottaLoveFanfiction, InMahMind, ducksandruns, ellaryne and susanreader.  
And, of course, like always, hugs and mwahs to 'Usual Suspects': neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3, and cullenmeadow.**

**Special thanks to my dear Mrs. TheKing for her pimping =)**

**Note: A story is nothing without readers, so if you want to help, pimp me like a 2 dollar hoe! *winks* Thank you!**

* * *

Disclaimer:

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Previously in Deep Ocean...

"Edward, what are you doing half dressed inside the hot tub?"

_Shouldn't you be asking what the heck __**you **__are doing naked on his lap, baby?_

Oh, crap! Sure enough, I was sitting stark naked on Edward's lap; he, at least, was wearing his jeans…inside the hot tub.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any weirder…

Chapter 12: Pink Giraffe's Blues

He must have seen the shock in my face, because his gaze was focused at eye level, as if trying to convince me it was ok being naked, that he wasn't even paying attention. I was thankful, and a little hurt at the same time.

_What were you expecting? You think you're the first woman he saw like that?_

I didn't have time to discuss with my inner bitch, not that she had been of great use while I was scared running in the dark either, I had more pressing matters at that moment.

"I was already wet when we got here, love, so I kicked my boots and took off my shirt while I prepared the tub. I was going to change later, it was more important to get you warm first. Then you started crying, and I wanted to hold you, so I jumped into the tub."

I had the feeling he had lots of questions of his own, but he was answering my silly one first because he was afraid I'd bolt out of the tub screaming 'rape'.

"Now, Bella, can you tell me why you were barefoot, wearing no coat, and far away from your house, at night, in the middle of a storm?"

I explained about the power going off, and the noises, and the fact that I didn't even think in putting on my shoes, let alone grabbing my car keys when I started running.

"Shhh…It's ok, love, you're safe now," he told me, kissing my forehead, and it was impossible not to believe in him. Earlier, when I started getting tired of running, and I didn't even know where I was, the only person I thought of calling was Edward. Not the police or Mike. I needed Edward.

"Oh! I think I left my door open…I can't remember!"

"Don't worry, love. I'll send the guys to check your house. They'll take care of everything."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't know what to do; I just panicked and ran, when I noticed I was in an unfamiliar street, drenched and cold, I called you…Do you think I can have my clothes dried? I could take a room and…I'll pay for it, just don't make me go there now…"

He tried to gently interrupt my rant a few times, but I was too caught up to let him, the thought of going back to the empty house in the storm terrorized me again.

"Bella, what makes you think I'll let you leave this room tonight, love?"

And there it was again, that hint of wilderness in his eyes, the same thing that gave me the vibe of an untamed animal the first time I saw him.

I swallowed hard, and he smirked, and I couldn't take me eyes away from his green hypnotizing ones.

He looked at my lips, the desire to kiss me clear in his face, and for the first time ever, I didn't second guess myself, or even considered if I deserved him; I just closed the distance between us and pressed my mouth against his.

He cupped my chin, and tilted my head back, surrendering to the kiss. His tongue was soft, and wet, gently sucking my own. His hand was caressing my neck, and then trailing down to my collarbones on the way to my chest.

I moaned softly when he rubbed the side of my breast with the tips of his fingers. He made a few passes, and then his hand was covering my peak.

The kiss grew more urgent, passionate; his hands alternative massaging my breast and rubbing my nipple.

I was so turned on that I knew I was willing to give him anything he wanted.

Because I wanted it too. I wanted him.

"We should stop now, love," he whispered against my mouth.

I shook my head _no, _grazing his upper lip with my teeth. I couldn't stop then, or I'd never have that chance again.

"Please, Edward," I begged, my breathing was ragged and my tone so needy I couldn't even recognize myself.

"I can't take advantage of you, Bella. We can't do it. Not like this, not now. You'll regret it tomorrow, and don't want you to hate me, love."

He sounded in pain, and I wondered if he was trying to convince me or himself.

"Please…I won't regret it…I need to feel you."

He sighed.

"Not in here, Bella. Let me take care of you, love. I'll get you dry, and then we can go to bed."

I guessed the logistics to do the deed in a hot tub must have been too complicated, not that I'd have known by experience, but I decided to follow his lead.

He pulled me up gently, and then he got out of the tub, taking my hand to help me.

I felt a little awkward standing in the middle of his huge bathroom naked while he wasn't, but the look in his eyes was hungry, and it made me feel desired.

He grabbed a big, fluffy towel and started drying me off. His touch was tender, and purposeful at the same time.

"You're so fucking sexy," he murmured when he was done, and I melted at the intensity of his voice and his gaze.

"Go and get in bed, love. I'll get rid of my wet clothes and be there in a minute."

I reluctantly walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. For some silly reason, I wanted to watch him getting out of his wet jeans.

I pulled down the covers and got comfy to wait for him, basking in the sensation of being in _his_ bed, under the sheets that smell like him.

He strolled into the bedroom wearing a towel wrapped low around his hips, and went the chest of drawers, opened one and took a pair of boxers. His back was turned to me when he let the towel hit the floor and started putting them on.

_Oh. My. God! I've died and gone to an Abercrombie & Fitch Ad!_

His back was broad and defined, his muscles tensing when he leaned forward. And his butt! I've never thought that a man's butt could be beautiful before, but Edward's was perfect. So toned and…

"Bella, were you checking out my ass?"

Busted! I was so absorbed in my fantasies that didn't even notice he was standing at the foot of the bed. I blushed, sliding a little lower under the covers.

He shook his head, amused, and crawled over the bed smirking.

The wild cat was back…

How a man could move with such predatory grace was beyond me.

_I want to pet that cat! Purrr!_

Great! You know you're in trouble when the voice of your conscience starts purring…

"I'll send the guys to check your house, love," Edward said, grabbing his cell phone from his nightstand.

He remained over the covers; his back reclined against the headboard while he talked to his men. I didn't pay attention to the directives he gave them because I was too busy ogling his naked chest. I didn't really have a chance when we were in the bathroom, he moved too much and I was feeling self conscious. But I was covered, and he was still and in display while he was on the phone, so I couldn't miss my opportunity.

He put his phone on the nightstand again once he finished talking, and leaned down to kiss my nose. When he got under the covers, he scooted closer to me, and pulled me to his body.

His arms wrapped around me felt divine, but when he kissed the top of my head, and started rubbing my back in a comforting manner, I knew something was very wrong. I wasn't precisely experienced, but a man who planned on having sex with a woman shouldn't have been treating her as if she was his sister.

A sob escaped my mouth before I could stop it. I felt cheated. Of course he wasn't interested, even naked and in his bed, he wouldn't make a move on me, I was still a stupid pink giraffe.

"What happens, love?"

"Nothing. Let go of me, Edward. I want to go home."

"What? Bella, what's wrong, baby? I can't read your mind; you have to tell me so I can help you…"

"You can't help me, Edward. Don't worry, I get it. I just can't keep doing…_this_," I said gesturing between the two of us. "You were clear from the beginning; you said you wanted to be my friend…"

"Bella, love…"

I hushed him while I fought to disentangle his arms from my body. He wasn't cooperating.

"You won't go anywhere, Bella. I need you to explain me what I did wrong…"

"You didn't do anything wrong. It was me; I shouldn't have called you…"

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bella? Of course you should call me whenever you need me!"

He was frustrated, pinning me to the bed beneath his body, demanding answers I wasn't about to give him.

What was I going to tell him? That I had misunderstood his friendship for something more? That I had allowed myself to dream for the first time in many years without noticing that the dream was too big for me? That his rejection hurt more than any other in the past?

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**A/N: **

**Before you try to hurt me: Don't blame my girl for this one, she's insecure and she did take the first step, she kissed him and now she feels rejected. Not my fault if Edward has been sending mixed signals. (In Edward's defense, I must tell that he wasn't aware that dear Mikey is taking ****_some alone time_****. AND he has his reasons too. One more chapter and I'll be able to post the second part of EPOV so you can see why he's acting like this)**

**.**

*** The purse mystery will also be solved next chapter when Emmett and Felix come back from Bella's house.**

**.**

**Reviews are better than Edward's towel hitting the floor. Nah! Well, ****_almost_**** as good *winks***


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry, my pretties for not updating for a few days, but I've got some nasty comments about this story and I wasn't in a great mood to write. **

**I think I've told from the beginning that the story was being posted raw (The chapters are slowly going under editing/betaing process now, but it'll take time to have it polished), so I wouldn't be offended if somebody points out grammar issues or mispelling, on the contrary, that'd be useful. Now telling the plot is not plausible and unoriginal, the character development sucks, and other similar 'niceties' after having read only the first chapter is not something I was not expecting. In this case, I think it's fair asking the readers for their opinion to determine if it makes any sense to keep on writing this everyday. So now, it's upon you, my dears.**_  
_

**This chappie is dedicated to S1203, baobeiangel93, Angelik Angel, kikikinz and GottaLoveFanFiction.**

**Like always, especial hugs & mwahs to the DO brigade: neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3 and cullenmeadow, thanks ladies for your support since the beginning.**

**This chapter is gonna be short, but I'll be posting another one today to catch up. If you don't feel comfortable reading some explicit luv, you can skip this one and go directly to the next one *winks***

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Disclamer : Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own the Pink Giraffe, Casino-Edward, Jim, Eva and Granma. I still don't own a copy of 'More' by T.M. Franklin, but I intend to remedy that very soon :)

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_Previously in Deep Ocean…_

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bella? Of course you should call me whenever you need me!"

He was frustrated, pinning me to the bed beneath his body, demanding answers I wasn't about to give him.

What was I going to tell him? That I had misunderstood his friendship for something more? That I had allowed myself to dream for the first time in many years without noticing that the dream was too big for me? That his rejection hurt more than any other in the past?

**Chapter 13**: _Warning: Lions can rock pink worlds_

He wasn't going to let go, of that I was sure. Damn sexy man sending mixed signals to silly giraffes!

I huffed, then stopped struggling and looked into his stunning green eyes.

"Fine! Have it your way. You're determined to see me make a fool of myself? Here we go, hope you enjoy the show," I hissed.

I was hurt, and embarrassed, and confessing certain things to him wasn't high on my priority list, but I needed to run away. Fast. I wasn't sure how much the anger fuelled by him trying to stop me would last, and once the anger was over, the only feeling left would be hurt. I wasn't exactly happy with the thought of showing him how much his rejection had hurt me. I could spare that humiliation if I could deliver a few selected words, and convince him to let me go home.

"I understand you may be used to random awkward girls begging you take them, Edward. I really get it…but you can't expect me to stay happy in your bed, and spend the night cuddling with you after you turned me down like that. I still have a little pride left, and I'd like to take it home with me. Now."

A few different emotions crossed his face while I was delivering my speech. Confusion, astonishment, and perhaps anger?

I wondered if he was mad at me because I had been such a lousy friend. A friend who didn't know how to keep her place, one that had dared to dream too high? I felt my rage starting to ebb, being gradually replaced by guilt.

"Bella, I didn't turn you down, love…God! I'm such an idiot!" he said. His tone was soft when he was talking to me; apparently the irritation was directed to himself for some unknown reason.

"Baby, you thought I didn't want you?" He asked me, but I wasn't sure of what could escape my mouth if I opened it to answer, so I chose to keep it shut.

I looked to the other side, at the wall of his fancy sterile suite, anywhere but his piercing eyes that had been the beginning of everything, the first thing that had called me to him.

"Bella, look at me love," he pleaded, and when I didn't comply, he freed my wrists and used his hands to cup my face, very gently, and make me look at him.

His expression was pained, it reminded me of that night in the party when he told me he couldn't stand the thought of Mike kissing me at midnight.

I'll never know what he saw in my eyes in that moment, but whatever it was; it seemed to give him the encouragement he was searching for.

He stared at me for a long time, as if taking in whatever he was seeing in my face. His expression changed to one of determination, and then, slowly, very slowly, he closed the few inches that separated us, and pressed his lips to mine.

At first, he kissed me soft and sweet, and then it turned more passionate. I didn't have too much time to think, so I kissed him back, sinking my fingers in his hair, enjoying what his mouth was doing to me.

I guessed he was kissing me goodbye, so again I decided to take what I could get for the last time.

I was so wrong.

The kiss never slowed down to sweet again, signalling the moment I'd have to leave this gorgeous dream of a man, and go back to my pink boring life. It grew more ardent and desperate, his hands started wandering through my body, rubbing and caressing.

I was very aware that I was still naked, pinned under his hard body, and the thin layer of fabric between us did nothing to conceal his erection.

On instinct, I spread my legs further, nestling him between them, and he grounded his pelvis against mine, groaning.

I didn't know what he liked, but somehow I was sure he wouldn't freak out like Mike if we got a little rough.

I dug my nails into his scalp, and tugged as he moved down my throat, eliciting another groan, and more grinding of his hard-on against my groin.

He dipped in, capturing one of my nipples in his mouth, while he rolled the other one in his long fingers.

I must have been doing the most embarrassing noises, I faintly recall hearing them and hoping he didn't think I sounded like a porn star in decline, but honestly I couldn't help myself.

I hitched my leg over his hip, trying to get more friction where I was craving it the most. Edward must have interpreted my need better than I did, because he switched breasts, his mouth started sucking my left nipple while he shifted his weight to his elbow, opening a small gap between our bodies.

His hand roamed lower, leaving a trail of fire on my skin, until I could feel his skilled fingers pressing against my tender flesh. He made small circles over my pussy, the back his fingers grazing my slit on each pass, his thumb rubbing my clit, bringing me closer and closer with each movement.

I was squirming and pushing against his fingers when he let go of my nipple, and settled for watching me instead. I was way past shame by that moment, so I writhed and moaned while he touched me, all the time staring into his green depths.

His breathing was laboured, and it was clear in his face that he was very aroused, but what surprised me the most was the intensity of his gaze, he was looking at me with adoration.

"Let go, love," he whispered, and his rasping voice, pure desire dripping in it, was all it took to finally send me over the edge.

I closed my eyes as I came, quivering on his hand.

Edward's body lowered to mine, and he held me, whispering sweet nothings on my ear, his fingers still on my flesh, but only delivering feathery touches over my sensitive skin.

I opened my eyes again when he shifted his body. He gave me a tender kiss, and moved to the side, disentangling my leg from his hip, and bringing me to his chest.

"Now try to catch some sleep, love. You must be exhausted," he said wrapping his arms around me.

I looked at him in confusion, because he was still hard as a rock, but he was making no moves to get some relief.

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**A/N: Yup! We finally got some action, Naughty Squad! *winks* A half lemon is better than no lemon, right?**

**Now please tell me if you think I should keep on writing DO, or I'd better get another hobby...gardening, perhaps?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks everybody for your kind words and your support. Considering I suck at gardening, I guess I'll just have fun in here with you, my lovelies.**

**Considering everybody's been so nice, and we reached the 100 reviews and the 100 followers, I'll post another EPOV in my blog later *winks***

* * *

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_Previously in Deep Ocean…_

"Now try to catch some sleep, love. You must be exhausted," he said wrapping his arms around me.

I looked at him in confusion, because he was still hard as a rock but he was making no moves to relieve himself.

Chapter 14:

Edward's cell phone rang on his night-table. He gently removed his arms from around my body and reached to grab it, reclining his back on the headboard while he took the call.

He was serious, and it didn't seem he liked what they were telling him, but his replies were clipped and vague, not giving me details of what was going on. I wondered if there were problems in the casino again, if he was going to get dressed and leave my side to take care of them.

I didn't want him to leave me alone, and I felt selfish, but I couldn't help it. I wasn't sure where we were standing, and something inside me wanted to fight for whatever time I had left with him. That part of me obviously wasn't into sharing.

He ended his call, and let out a deep breath.

"Bella, do you trust me, love?" He asked me, his expression was tired and worried, as if he was looking for a way to tell me something I wasn't going to like.

"Yes, Edward, of course I trust you. What happens?" I replied, sitting up.

My voice was shaky, as a dozen different scenarios crossed my mind, none of them very appealing.

"I'm gonna tell you what I know, love, but I need you to promise me you'll stay here 'till we figure out the rest," he said staring at me gravely.

"Stay here? Figure what?"

Edward must have seen I was starting to panic again, because he took my hand in his, and started rubbing circles on my skin with his thumb.

"You were right; somebody was in your house when you heard the noises…"

I opened my mouth, and closed it again without saying anything.

"Baby, I need you to trust that I'm gonna keep you safe. You know I'd never gonna let anything happen to you, right?" His voice was strained, a deep crease forming in between his eyebrows. I nodded, because it seemed to be important to him.

"It's all my fault. Somebody must have followed us. Fuck! How could I've been such and idiot? You shouldn't have left the Twilight after a security breach," he said banging his fist against his tight. "I'm so sorry, love."

"Edward, calm down! Why do you say it was your fault? You couldn't have known…"

"Bella," he interrupted me, "it's my job to know! It's not the first time somebody threatens me, but until know, I was the only one at risk. Now some sick fuck decided to include you and my cousin Rosalie in the game!"

While he was talking, he let go of my hand, and was racking his fingers on his hair and pulling the strands with a force that made me wince. "They took my cousin's purse to your house, and shredded it to ribbons on your couch…a purse that had been missing since Rose's arrival. It was message to me, and I got it nice and clear. None of you are leaving my side till…"

"Edward!" I interrupted his movie plot, suddenly remembering about the mysterious purse. "The purse was already there, it was inside one of the shopping bags I carried home the other night. I took it to the couch when I noticed it with the idea of checking inside. The ID in the wallet read 'Rosalie Cullen'. I was going to call you, but then the power went off and…"

He was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Are you saying that the purse somehow got into a bag and you took it home without knowing?" He said slowly, enunciating every word as if trying to make sense of it. "That changes a lot of things."

All of a sudden, he jumped out of the bed and grabbed his phone again. He went to the closet, and started getting dressed while talking to somebody.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to get dressed too, there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to sleep if Edward was leaving, but my clothes were a wet pile in Edward's bathroom floor.

"Bella, I need to talk to Rosalie and my security guys, I'll be back soon, you should catch some sleep," he said as he ended his call.

"No! I want to go with you, Edward, please," I begged.

"Don't worry, love, nothing will happen to you, I'll leave a bodyguard at the door," he tried to reassure me.

"Edward, I know I'm asking too much, but perhaps I can help…Maybe we can figure this out together?"

My voice broke in the end of the sentence. I was aware that, in some way, I was asking him to take me to meet his cousin, and I wasn't sure if he was willing to acknowledge my existence to her.

"I think we're going to need to find you something to wear, love," he said smirking, "As much as I enjoy seeing you like this, I'd have to kill Emmett and the rest of the guys if they look at you." He said, his finger sliding from my chin to my chest while his mischievous eyes followed the imaginary trail on my skin hungrily.

I had to laugh at that too. I didn't know what happened with that man, but he even made me forget about being naked, and I wasn't exactly confident showing my body.

He went back to his closet, picked a few items, and handed them to me, grinning. Then he rummaged in the drawers for a moment, bringing me a pair of boxers and socks.

I put on his underwear and a T-shirt, feeling silly and giddy at the same time for wearing his clothes.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, "I've never thought a woman wearing my boxers could be so hot!"

I tried to hide my smile, blushing furiously, while donning a pair of jeans that were too wide at the waist, and shockingly too long for my giraffe legs.

Edward kneeled in front of me, and taking a pair of black chucks from a box, he put them on my feet, chucking.

"I had bought this for you yesterday, I was going to send them to your house with a bouquet of flowers, but I guess you need them now," he said tying the laces, and then rolling the pant legs a few times to adjust them to my weight.

He stood, pulled a thin scarf from a hanger, and passed it though the bell loops, tying it on the back. I guessed I wasn't allowed to pee any time soon.

He seemed satisfied with the outfit, so I didn't mention that part to him. I took a few minutes to splash some cold water on my face and try to make my hair look decent. I didn't see a comb or a brush anywhere in his bathroom, so I just used my fingers. When I decided that was the best I could do with my appearance, I stepped back in his room, praying that his cousin wouldn't think I was the 'cat lady'.

Edward was looking so pleased when he took my hand, that I even felt beautiful for a moment. He led me to the corridor, but instead of going to the elevator, we walked in the opposite direction.

There was a small foyer at the end of the hallway. He opened one the doors and motioned me to get in.

It looked like a high-tech conference room. A blond guy was working on a laptop, sending images to the bigger monitors attached to the wall. The two big hurly guys from the previous day were discussing something pointing at the screens, while a stunning blonde woman was sitting at the table watching them with an unreadable face.

"Guys, this is Bella," Edward said catching their attention. "Bella, you already met Emmett and Felix," he pointed to 'big burly guy' 1 and 2, and they nodded their heads. "The one with his fingers glued to the keyboard is Jazz," he told me, resuming the introductions. The guy waved with one hand, the other still typing numbers on a pad at his side.

He walked a few steps toward the blonde, who stood and stared at me with an amused expression. "And this is my cousin Rosalie."

"Finally," she said smiling, "I thought he wasn't going to share any time soon." She surprised me by hugging me, but I recovered fast and hugged her back. She seemed nice, and it didn't feel as if she judging the way I looked.

"It's very nice to meet you, Rosalie," I managed once we were standing in front of each other again.

"It's nice to meet you too, Bella," she replied, and then added with a smirk, "Nice T-shirt."

She and Edward started laughing.

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A/N: Humn...The T-shirt has a story, I think Edward is gonna tell us in his POV ;) I'll post a pic too.

Well, the purse mystery is about to be solved, and we got to meet Rose and Jasper. I'm planning something special for Jazz, hope you'll like the character as much as I do when I write him. And who knows? Perhaps we even get a JPOV soon *winks*

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Question: What does you fav funny T-shirt read? My fav: "1f U c4n r34d th1s, U n33d t0 g3t l41d" Bahaha!


	15. Chapter 15

**Dedicated to Kgunter34, GottaLoveFanFiction, myhubbyissoedward, Alc1002, jbrjaw27,Angelik Angel, S1203, ellaryne, The Unfamiliar, Beloved Sunshine and iituska.**

**Thanks to all the ones who put the story in favs and all the followers.**

**And, of course, like always, especial hugs and mwahs to the 'DO Brigade': neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3, and cullenmeadow.**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just own a crazy siamese cat, too many books to be a 'normal person' and a spot in SM's sandbox *winks*

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Chapter 15: Giraffes & Bunkers

I turned around to look at Edward, cocking an eyebrow at his amused face. He put his arm around my waist, and kissed the top of my shoulder.

"Nothing to worry about, love," he grinned, "Rose gave me that T-shirt sometime ago, she thinks she's funny."

I looked down at the silly black shirt shaking my head. Of course it made more sense then, I couldn't picture Edward buying it, let alone wearing it. In my hast to get dressed, I haven't paid much attention to the cartoon squirrel sporting a shit-eating grin surrounded by casino chips in the middle of it.

"You know I _am_ funny," Rosalie said smirking. There was something in her face that clearly denoted that they were related, in spite of how different they looked physically.

Rosalie was svelte, with long platinum hair and cat-like eyes of such a pale shade of blue that they looked surreal. Everything about her was elegant and classy, from her clothes down to her perfectly styled hair, but somehow she managed to avoid the damsel in distress vibe all the pink ladies I knew usually gave. She didn't seem prefabricated like Alice, or fake like Renata. She looked_ real_.

The three of us joined the blond guy at the big table, while the other two men remained standing near one of the screens.

Edward began telling them about the mysterious purse, and what we knew about it. All of them listened attentively, only Rosalie seemed to be uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat while fidgeting with her bracelet, his eyes never looking at anybody.

I explained them how I had noticed the purse, but I left aside the part that my discovery had taken place the previous night, I wasn't really willing to confess that I had felt threatened by the idea of a feminine purse for a whole day.

"Rose?" Edward addressed her, the expression in his face showed that he had noticed her strange behavior.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered, lowering her head in shame, "I didn't tell you the entire story"

All of us were staring at her at that moment. Jazz and Felix appeared interested, as if she was holding a piece of a puzzle they wanted to solve; Emmett's face was concerned, made me wonder what he was thinking. Edward looked dangerous, the appearance of his face was calm, but his eyes were stormy and murderous. I felt bad for her; I didn't know what problems she was in, but whatever she was hiding didn't seem easy to deal with.

She took a deep breath before she started talking.

"When Royce started threatening us, I thought I needed to take precautions. I kept track on him, waiting for him to make a mistake…he made several, I gathered all the proofs I had, and put them in a pendrive before I left Vegas."

The room was eerily silent. She paused for a few seconds, and then she faced Edward.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I should have told you, but I knew how you feel about all this. I've never thought that they could suspect I had it, much less that Bella could be in danger because of it."

"Rosalie!" He yelled, standing up. "You thought you could outsmart the fucking gambling mafia on your own?"

Rosalie looked down at her bracelet again, toying with it while looking properly apologetic. Edward started pacing around the room as a caged lion.

"And so you had this wonderful idea to hide the pendrive in your fucking purse?" He asked angrily.

"Of course not!" She replied slightly offended. "I never said that the pendrive was here. Do you think I'd risk you on purpose, Edward? I hid it in Vegas."

Everybody seemed shocked by her response, I wasn't too sure what they were talking about, but if it involved gambling mafia and a tug trying to hurt them, I could understand why Edward was so stressed lately.

The only person in the room who appeared to be enjoying the revelations was that Jazz guy. I had yet to determine what to make of him, but behind his disheveled boyish looks, I had the feeling he was less than innocent. His eyes were bright and intelligent; I could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"Lemmie see," he started, "Rosalie here gets proof against King, she argues with Daddy dearest, and she comes to AC. Two days after her arrival we have a weird security breach and her purse disappears, only to be found shredded on Ms. Swan's couch after somebody breaks into her house…Interesting," he summarized, and then starting tapping his middle finger on his temple.

I wanted to ask him how did he know my last name, but he resumed speaking.

"Edward, who did you send to pick the shopping bags from your car?"

Edward apparently was done pacing around, and had already sat again, but when Jazz asked, he jumped from his seat, phone in hand, tapping keys.

"Lauren, ask Sam to escort Yorkie to my office." He paused minutely to listen. "No, I don't give a shit what's he's doing! I need to see him now!" he barked on the speaker and ended the call.

"Seriously, Edward? You sent Yorkie?" Emmett asked amused. It seemed like Jazz was sharing his feelings too, because he was shaking his head in disbelief.

"What?" Edward asked defensively, "It's not like he could fuck up bringing some shopping bags from the trunk of my car to my foyer, right?"

"Incompetence moves in mysterious ways," Jazz declared solemnly. Edward was about to interject, but his cell phone rang.

"Cullen," He replied dryly, not even looking at the ID, "yeah, bring him to the bunker, Sam."

He must have seen my discomfort, because he approached me and rubbed my shoulders. I wasn't used to see Edward act like that, but it's not like deep down I wasn't expecting him to. He had reminded me of a lion the first time I saw him, there wasn't anything tame about him, just latent wildness. There was something predatory in the way he moved, and a certain fire in his eyes that spoke of passion. I couldn't blame him either, he struck me as a protective person, ready to fight to keep safe the ones he loved, just the one thing that nobody ever did for me.

Rosalie stood and picked a tray of mugs from a close by counter, offering us coffee. I usually wouldn't have had caffeine at that time of the night, but considering nobody knew when we were going to get some sleep, if any at all, I accepted.

By the time she had brought the tray to the table, and was passing the mugs around, the door opened and two guys entered the room. One of them, I guessed he was Sam, was even bigger than Emmett and Felix. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and his eyes instinctively scanned the room as if he was searching for possible threats. The other one, was skinny and mousy; I had the feeling I had seen him before, but I couldn't remember where or when.

As soon as Edward saw them, he rushed to where mousy-guy was standing, and I felt myself cringe at the same time he did.

"Yorkie. Do you remember my instructions when I sent you to get the bags from my car?" Edward asked menacingly, and mousy-guy looked as if he was about to piss his pants.

"If your car has a scratch it wasn't me!" He squeaked, putting up his hands defensively.

"Oh, boy" Jazz muttered, not losing a beat, his hands tapping on the keyboard, his eyes watching something carefully in the monitor.

"I couldn't care less about the damn car right now, Yorkie!" Edward seethed. "Did you happen to see a small black backpack while you were _not scratching_ my fucking car?"

Mousy-guy shook his head _no_ vehemently.

"And this gets better!" Jazz announced grinning while sending images from his laptop to the screens on the wall.

We all stared at an amplified capture from the surveillance cameras, showing a mildly annoyed Yorkie opening Edward's car trunk, gathering the shopping bags, and seemingly huffing and cursing when he spotted a not-so-mysterious-anymore black purse. He picked it, deliberated for a few seconds, and then stuffed it in one of the bags.

Jazz was reclining on his chair, with a lazy, satisfied grin in his face, slowly strumming the strings of an imaginary guitar.

Yorkie gulped and blushed, and that made me remember where I had seen him before! He was New Year's Day party's postman! I didn't have time to determine whether to feel embarrassed or not considering he had read our messages that night, because Edward launched at him. He would have tackled him to the floor if Sam hadn't been standing behind him, but I wasn't sure if mail-boy wouldn't have preferred that.

Sam didn't even flinch when he crashed against his body, leaving Yorkie sandwiched between him and a very furious Edward who was gripping him by the collar of his shirt.

"You, fucking idiot! Edward growled. "Does the backpack look familiar now?"

Mail-boy only stuttered and mumbled some incoherencies, clearly not in the best situation to think properly. Emmett must have sensed that, because he approached Edward, and put a hand on his shoulder.

Edward looked at him in anger at first, but when Emmett shook his head, he finally let go of Yorkie's shirt.

Felix was watching the actions with a detached expression that matched Sam's. I briefly wondered what kind of things they were used to watch on a daily basis.

Rosalie looked angry, and something in her face made me think that she disliked mousy-guy before that episode.

Jazz was leaning back on his chair, he had propped up his booted feet on the table, and one would have thought that he'd have been eating pop corn if it was available.

"What was I supposed to do?" Yorkie said almost in a whisper. "It's not like I could have swung a woman's purse on my shoulder and walk into the hotel's hall! Everybody would have thought I was gay!"

"Who cares? Besides it takes more than wearing or not a bag to be a man, Yorkie!" Jazz pointed out. "I'm sure Emmett could walk in the lobby with a pink purse hanging on his arm, and nobody would doubt about his sexual orientation."

Rosalie cackled. "Or Edward! He could totally rock that!" She said giggling.

When Edward finally asked Sam to take mail-boy out of his sight, I understood what they were doing; they were trying to diffuse the situation so Edward didn't explode or punch somebody.

They seemed pleased with their job when Sam closed the door and Edward collapsed on his chair beside me with a sigh. They must have been pretty used to be together, they seemed to anticipate one another's reactions easily, and know how to handle them. I guessed that if they had all started yelling at Yorkie, Edward's response would have been very different, and so they chose to joke. They didn't fool me though, I could feel that all of them disliked mousy-boy, but they did the right thing. I felt oddly thankful at them for helping him, and it made me wonder how being part of a crew like that could feel.

"Well, love, I think we won't solve more than one mystery today, time to get some sleep."

We stood and said our goodbyes, and then walked back to his room.

"So you could totally rock a pink purse, Edward? Who would have guessed?" I teased him when we were almost at his door.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…You shouldn't have said that, love," he replied flashing one of his panty melting grins at me, and just like that, the lion was back.

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**A/N: Yup, we finally got to meet Jasper and find out about the purse. EPOV will be posted tomorrow, I needed to explain about the purse first or the main story would have sounded weird.**

**Note: I don't have anything against homosexuality, Yorkie's excuse had to do with another thing in the plot that will be revealed later on, it wasn't any expression of my personal feelings. My life policy is simple: I like people being happy, doing whatever they please as far as they don't harm others, so here's my blessing to everybody no matter your sexual orientation: Be happy, my pretties! Mwah!**

**.**

**Question: What do you think about this Jasper? You think you're gonna like him?**

**Oh! Anybody guessed who Yorkie was before Bella remembered?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, my pretties! Sorry for the delay, but I was sick. Fever and writing Giraffes apparently don't mix *sighs***

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**Disclaimer:**

Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just own an overstimulated mind *winks*

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Chapter 16: _Unemployed Giraffes_

We got ready for bed again once we were back in Edward's bedroom, and though he was still playful and affectionate, he never tried to take things further from there.

I might have been a little disappointed with his lack of interest, but I convinced myself that it had been a long night for all of us, so settling for sleeping in his arms while dressed in his T-shirt was enough.

We haven't talked about anything that happened the previous day aside from the incident in my house, but when we woke up and he ordered breakfast, I thought it was the right moment to come clean.

I didn't know where to begin, until he asked me what time I was supposed to be at work. I figured it would be a safe place to start, so I gave him the abridged version of my argument with Renata.

Of course, he had that weird built in radar that always told him when I was leaving things out, and he insisted until I told him all the details.

His face was not giving much away as I recounted our conversation, but his eyes started burning with fury when I reached the part when Renata accused me to 'steal' her reputation to _climb in the society ladder_ and ultimately get in his good graces.

He cursed under his breath, but he didn't interrupt me. By the time I told him she fired me because I let my inner bitch talk for me, he was chucking. I couldn't be sure, but I caught something in the way he was looking at me, something I could only define as pride.

"Bella, I want you to know that I'm attracted to you in ways Renata couldn't even start imagining," he told me, staring at me with that smouldering look that always did strange things to my body, "but owning a restaurant or not definitely has nothing to do with it."

He was back to his delicious crooked grin, and I couldn't help but returning it with a grin of my own.

With the storm, and all the rest of the things that happened that night, I didn't exactly have time to examine Renata's words, but once Edward brought them to my attention, I could see that her speech had been ridiculous at best.

Edward knew all along that Mela's belonged to her, he wasn't interested in a restaurant's owner, he was interested in me.

It was more and more absurd each time I thought of it. Why would Edward want a restaurant owner when he owned a few restaurants himself? That could hardly make us equals as Renata had said. In fact, there should be very few women in position to be his equals considering his fortune and success.

Perhaps I should have felt bad about the extents of my new discovery, but somehow it made me happy instead.

Edward never said he was looking for a rich and successful woman…

He was attracted to me, silly pink giraffe, full of flaws, and self-consciousness. Same _southern belle_ gone wrong that nobody has wanted before.

I must have stayed silent for too long, or my emotions about the situation were too visible in my face, because Edward put down his coffee mug and took my hand in his.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said smiling.

"Oh, believe me Edward, my thoughts are not very valuable, and they don't make sense most of the time. You must think I'm crazy, I'm telling you how I got fired while grinning like a fool…"

"But…?" he pushed.

"But Renata was wrong," I offered lamely.

"Good to know we're on the same page, love." he said chuckling. "Still I'm not sure if my reasons and yours are the same."

I looked at him in confusion.

"Renata was wrong for many reasons, love. She's shallow, ungrateful, and a crappy boss; but her worse mistake was demeaning you. She entitled to be delusional and think that she has chances with me because she owns the restaurant, but she's not entitled to accuse you of anything. She doesn't have what's needed to even reach your ankles, and hurting you just because she feels inferior was her cheapest move," he said, his anger barely concealed at the end of his words.

I was speechless.

"Mela's her biggest pride. What makes her so proud about it? Which is her biggest achievement?" he asked me all of a sudden.

"We…I mean Mela's is the only four-starred Mediterranean restaurant in the city," I replied, still trying to understand what it had to do with anything.

"Possibly the only four-starred restaurant in the city period," he said in a calculating voice, his trademark mischievous glint lightening his eyes.

"And that's important because…?" I tried to make sense of his sudden odd demeanour.

"That's important because Mela's has currently no manager, Renata's in charge without knowing shit about the business, and I own a fairly nice Mediterranean restaurant that could use some work," he said smirking. "How would you like paying her back hitting where it hurts the most, love?"

"H…how?" I managed to say while trying to piece together the puzzle of things he had just said.

"My restaurant was a concession, the owners didn't follow the contract, and it was declared null a few months ago. I didn't have the time or the knowledge needed to make it work, so I was looking for somebody to take over. With all the problems with my family and the casino lately, I didn't pay too much attention to it, but I'm willing to bet you can take the restaurant to the top."

"I…Are you offering me a job, Edward?" I asked astonished.

"Yes and no," he replied grinning, "I'm offering you a chance to demonstrate your worth, and I'm asking you to help me out in a way. I really need somebody to manage it, and you know I'm not exactly a trustful person."

"You mean you'd like me working for you?"

I knew it was like my wildest dream come true. It was beyond a job offer, it meant that I would have excuses to talk to Edward, and see him without anybody trying to claw my eyes off. I also meant that I would be able, for once, to do something for him, help him out, as he put it.

"The restaurant is inside the hotel, love, but it works independently. At least that's how it was supposed to be before the concession was ended. You'd be fully in charge of it, not working under the owner's orders," he explained, "…not that said _owner_ wouldn't happy to see you everyday," he added in a suggestive tone.

I wanted to go and hug Renata for firing me. Well, not that much, I still considered her a bitch, but I couldn't deny that her move had helped me a lot.

"What do you say, love? Would you consider helping me, please?" He asked me. His expression was a strange mix of emotions, but I could see the hope in his eyes, and I knew that I couldn't deny him anything.

"Edward, I had never tried this before…I know I may not be the most qualified person to do it," I started, "...but I'm willing to try-"

He interrupted me by jumping from his chair and lifting me up to hug me.

His mood was so contagious that we both were laughing as he swirled me around.

"You won't regret it, baby," he said when he finally stop spinning us, placing a kiss on my neck.

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**A/N: Yup, like that, our clueless Giraffe fell into Edward's clutches! Bahaha! She thinks she's doing it to help him *smirks* **

**Update coming soon. Remember the EPOVs are posted as a companion piece if you're interested to read them.**

**Mwah!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Dedicated to Starbuckathena, LiLi82, Kgunter34, BelovedSunshine, The Unfamiliar, alc1002, jbrjaw27,ellaryne and kikikinz.**

**Thanks to all the ones who put the story in favs and all the followers.**

**And, of course, like always, especial hugs and mwahs to the 'DO Brigade': neyvada, notthatamanda, OCDMumof3, and cullenmeadow.**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 17 - Who's the boss?

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Edward woke me up almost at noon the following morning. It wasn't very different from my usual schedule, but sleeping in while being in his huge bed felt odd.

We had gone to bed late after the meeting, and even when Edward held me in his arms all night, I still felt like he was holding back. He was very affectionate and sweet, however he never tried anything remotely sexual, so I was starting to feel self-conscious again.

I was very glad he had thought about my clothes, because I didn't want to make my first impression at his restaurant dressed like Miss Salvation Army, and as much as I loved wearing his clothes, they didn't give me exactly a professional appearance. Fortunately, the clothes I was wearing when he rescued me from the storm were, clean and dry, lying on one of the chairs, and he had sent Rosalie to buy me a new pair of shoes and underwear. I excused myself and went to the bathroom to get dressed and do my morning routine.

Once I was done, I walked barefoot to the bedroom to retrieve the shoes. I smiled when I opened the box. They weren't the 6 inch heels I craved, but they weren't either the ballet flats I was used to. It was a gorgeous pair of black patent kitten heels. They made me think of Audrey Hepburn and the classic movies I used to watch.

"Do you like them?" Edward asked hesitantly. I didn't notice he was standing in front of me until II heard his voice.

"I love them! Thank you!" I approached him and gave him a kiss on the cheek in gratitude, but he surprised me grasping my wrist and dragging me closer to him. He closed the few inches between us tortuously slowly, placing his lips on mine.

He was giving me time to stop him, but the moment I felt my body pressed against his, smelled his intoxicating scent, I knew what I wanted.

He smelled divine, earthy; like sandalwood and rain, and something uniquely Edward. The kiss started tentative, but I couldn't get enough of him. I moaned when he sucked and nibbled on my bottom lip, and opened my mouth to let him deepen the kiss.

By the time we finished it, we both were breathing heavily.

"Remind me to buy you lots of shoes, love," Edward said, smirking.

I just shook my head and blushed. I was aware I was being a little too forward before even telling him the new developments of my relationship with Mike, but all in our relationship seemed to be strange from the beginning, so I didn't feel that bad. I promised myself I would come clean with him during brunch. We had agreed on visiting the restaurant as soon as we woke up that day, and have our meal there. It wasn't open for the public, but Edward had arranged for some of the staff to be there to make the introductions.

"Are you ready, baby?" He asked offering me his arm. I took it and we walked to the elevator.

The restaurant was a mess. I couldn't imagine how they had been working like that. Everything seemed chaotic, from the menus, to the stock, and we'd better not start with the staff.

I had my first argument with the head chef, and my first rule was always having the HC happy. I wasn't sure if it was the heels, or maybe the sexy underwear I was wearing that morning, but something gave me a confidence I wasn't aware to have. The guy wasn't a happy camper when I criticized his menu, and I couldn't shut up. The incident didn't get any worse because Edward chose that moment to come to the kitchen and take me to table to eat something. Apparently he was worried I didn't have any food after the previous night, and he didn't want me to faint. I tried not to laugh at his concern, but little did he know I was used to skip meals considering the crazy rhythm Mela's handled.

When we were both sat at the table, a tall brunette came to take our order. I liked her at first sight; she had an easy smile and sincere eyes. I was relieved at least I liked somebody in there, because I could already tell that the people in the kitchen wasn't going to be my favorite for sure.

She said her name was Angela. Edward introduced me as her new boss, and her eyes went wide at that piece of information. I didn't tell the Chef and his assistants exactly who I was when I started in the kitchen. For one, I didn't want to pull out rank on them, but I also had another reason to do that: I wanted to know who was who before any titles were laid on the table.

Edward had asked me on the way there what I thought it'd be best to order. We could just ask them to prepare several dishes to sample, or we could have them cook something special to test the quality of the service. I told him my way of knowing how good they were was asking for certain dishes in particular, thought I didn't know if they were of his taste. Edward assured me he was game, so I took the reigns.

"Angela, we'd like a savory souffle, any kind, tell the chef to surprise us. We would also like fish and a salad, again, it's upon the chef to decide, we'll follow his recommendation today. For dessert we'll have the eclairs with crème chiboust."

Angela took note of what I ordered while Edward was hardly keeping from laughing on the other side of the table. He made a gesture to her and excused himself from the table for a minute. I couldn't hear what he told Angela, but she was amused too when she left toward the kitchen.

"What did you tell her?" I asked as soon as he sat down again. I knew that he probably won't tell me, considering he had talked to her in private, but it couldn't hurt trying.

"It's really difficult to keep a secret from you, uh?" He complained, but his grinning face gave away the fact that he wasn't serious. "I've just warned her to keep the kitchen staff from knowing you're the boss until they serve the meal"

"That's perfect," I agreed, "I had a bit of an argument with the Head Chef earlier-"

"What?" Edward interrupted me. "What happened in the kitchen, Bella?"

"It was nothing," I told him sincerely, I didn't want the guy to get fired because of that. "He's not very neat with his menus, I criticized something and he talked back. I don't mind, Edward, honestly. I can accept he has an attitude as long as he does his job w-"

"He's not entitled to have an attitude toward you, Bella. That shit has to stop," he seethed.

I didn't expect him to get so mad over that silly argument; if I knew he was going to react like that I wouldn't have mentioned it to him.

"It's ok, Edward. I ordered certain dishes on purpose, I need to know if he has the skills to back his mouth. If he's in the kitchen half as good as he is to defend his choices, then I can endure his attitude," I explained. "We need a good Head Chef if you want me to take this restaurant to level Mela's is."

"I don't care about the restaurant's level, Bella. I didn't bring you here so you could switch jerks. Nobody has the right to make your life hard in here, love. You are in charge. Everybody has to dance to the song you play or pack their bags, and hope the door doesn't hit their asses on their way out."

I decided it was a good moment to change the topic before Edward got worked up again.

"Hummm...I wanted to tell you something that happened yesterday," I started, and I could see he was starting to worry again, so I added quickly, "at noon, before the storm." He nodded, more curious than concerned, so I took it as a good signal, and resumed. "I had been thinking about what you said...that dating Mike for the wrong reasons wasn't never going to make me happy in the end."

"So?" He pushed.

"So I asked him to meet me for lunch, and talked to him..."

"You broke with him?" He asked, and his face was hopeful and worried at the same time.

"Not exactly. I asked him for some time," I finally confessed, "I explained him the situation, and he insisted nothing was wrong with us. I felt bad for him, I told him we needed some time apart to really know how we were feeling. I suggested him to go out, have fun, meet other people..."

"So you basically dumped his ass with the older than dirt 'time' excuse?" He asked, smirking.

"Nah! I didn't dump his...I mean I didn't break up with him. Yet," I said lamely.

"Bella, Bella. What am I gonna do with you, love? Every guy knows that when a chick tells you she needs time, she's dumping your ass," he said as if he was talking to a five year old.

"Well, Edward, don't blame me, then! Tell his stupid ass that I've got rid him 'cause I don't know what else to tell him!" I almost screamed. I was getting very frustrated with the situation, and Edward's patronizing words weren't helping me.

He raised his hands up in surrender. "You look so hot when you're angry, baby," he told me in raspy voice. His green gaze was so intense I wanted to crawl over the table and jump on his lap. Unfortunately, Angela chose that moment to come with our food. I wondered if any of us would have noticed her if she hadn't cleared her throat.

The meal went slow, full of playful banter between us, as we tasted the dishes. Much to my desperation, the food was nowhere as good as it should have been. There was no way I was going to be able to raise the restaurant's reputation with that kitchen staff. I was distressed and examining my chances of make something good out of that, but Edward said we should interview new candidates for the job.

He left the restaurant after leaving me in my new office to take care of the problems I could, and went to check on the casino. I sight as I sat on the comfy chair behind the desk, firing up the computer. That was going to be a long day.

* * *

**A/N: See, my pretties? I haven't forgotten about this story. It's just that I've joined NaNoWriMo and I'm trying to write a novel in one month *sighs* Yup, I know, it's crazy. Anyway, if you'd like to see what's the story about, first chapters are posted. Story name: Dreamwalker.**

**.**

**I also have posted my entry for the Public Loving Contest, so if you like smut, go and check it. Story name: Behind the Screen. (And go and read the other entries, cos they're awesome. Especial pimping for my partner in crime Neyvada., Check her story "Spied". I'm sure you'll like Edward giving some love to Bella in public *winks*)**


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